James, Marcy and the Giant Peach
by CentiSpiderFanGirl1
Summary: Once I had an idea where James would have an adopted older sister with a special power (Though she always had the inability to protect one with it). So this is basically the JatGP story with her in it as well as another character of mine. I added both together to improve on my writing skills. First time writing from the beginning of the movie. I only own Marcy and Butterfly.
1. Chapter 1

This is James Henry Trotter. He lived with his mother, father and adopted older sister, Marcella Jade Trotter, in a cozy little house by the sea.

A young seven-year-old boy was at a beach shore tossing stones into the sea, watching it splash in. His hair was a light brown color, his eyes were brown as well and his skin was light. He wore a long sleeved yellow shirt with a light blue vest, long tan pants, long white socks and brown shoes.

James' father came behind him and grabbed him, causing him to laugh. "Hey, I've got ya!" He wore light blue shirt with long sleeves, a dark brown hat, tan pants and brown shoes.

"Happy birthday, darling." James' mother came out. She had a long light pink dress with a white shirt under and white shoes. Her brown hair was up and it had a pink hairband, and her eyes were brown as well as her hair was. In her hands was a vanilla cake with seven candles that were already lit up. Six of the candles were regular blue ones, but the candle in the middle stood different from the rest. It was a white one that had a boy riding on a grasshopper's back. "Now quickly, blow them out before the wind does."

"Wait for me!" a sixteen-year-old girl walked quickly after her adopted mother. It was Marcella, and she's called Marcy for short. Her hair was a platinum blonde color, her eyes were a bright teal color and she had light skin. She wore a clean light blue dress with a white shirt under and her shoes were black. She was not blood-related to the Trotter family, but after Marcy's original parents died of a car accident the year before, Mr. and Mrs. Trotter took Marcy in as their adopted daughter and loved her as their own, and treated her and James with equal respect.

Mrs. Trotter held the cake in front of James so he could blow the candles near the table with cloth that had red and white squares. On the table, there were a variety of presents for James.

"Make a wish first," Mr. Trotter said in an encouraging tone.

For a few seconds, James kept his eyes closed, thinking of a wish, and then he quickly blew on the candle.

"Congratulations, James!" Marcy smiled. "I'm proud of you."

It was a wonderful life. They had each other, and they had their dreams.

On an orange and white striped blanket that was on the sand, Mr. Trotter, James, Marcy and Mrs. Trotter laid on it, staring at the sky.

"Look!" James pointed at the sky.

In the sky, there was a cloud that looked like a camel with two humps.

"And that one over there!" James pointed to another cloud that was shaped like a train, along with smoke. "Looks like a train engine."

"You've got some good eyes, James," Marcy giggled. She held out her right hand and a tiny spark of light blue light was revealed.

That was a huge difference Marcy had with her adopted family. She was born with a special power that seemed like light blue energy. She didn't know how she got it other than the fact that she was born with it, and she didn't get any other explanation from her parents about how she got it, it was just there. In her life, she wondered a bit, why did she have it then? But at that very moment, what she did with her mysterious magic was entertain the Trotter family with it.

James chuckled a bit as he saw the magic come out of his adopted sister's hand, and the two then payed back attention to the sky.

"Can you see the tallest building in the world?" Mr. Trotter asked James and Marcy.

"Tallest building in the world...," Marcy mused. "Lets see."

James and Marcy then payed attention to the clouds once again and spotted a particular looking one. It didn't seem like a tower though. It didn't stand tall.

"I can't find it." James confessed.

"Yeah... I don't know if what I see is a building," Marcy sighed. "It seems too different."

"Try looking at it another way." Mrs. Trotter smiled at the two.

Marcy and James sat up and tilted their heads to their right. The cloud finally seemed tall to them, and it looked like non other than the Empire State Building from New York City.

"I see it!" James and Marcy smiled.

"That's where we're going." Mr. Trotter said, revealing a small travel book that had the Empire State smiled as she noticed it said 'New York' right on top in big, blue letters.

"Ah, New York," Marcy giggled. "I've always wanted to go there. How are we going?"

Mr. Trotter smiled at his adopted daughter. "On a great ship that will take us across the ocean, and we'll go right on top of that building."

"The four of us?" Marcy's teal eyes lit up.

"The four of us, on top of the world."

"Are there any kids there, like me?" James asked.

"And perhaps teens too?" Marcy now felt completely curious.

Mr. Trotter opened up the small travel book, showing the two pictures of the city itself. "Hundreds of them. It's a wonderful place, James, Marcy. A city where dreams come true."

He then handed the travel book to James. James and Marcy, who was on James' left side, both broke into wider smiles as they looked through it.

"A city where dreams come true." Marcy placed her hand on her chest. "A lift with this family... so wonderful."

Then one day, a terrible thing happened.

James stared at the sky, by Marcy's side. The two were by themselves, and their parents were nowhere to be seen. The sky was dark, and there was thunder, lightning and wind around. It was more than just a regular storm.

An angry rhinoceros appeared out of nowhere, and gobbled up their poor mother and father. To James, it was losing his parents, who he has had this whole life. To Marcy, it was losing her second chance of ever having parents. First her original ones to the car accident, and now her adopted ones to the rhino.

Marcy hugged James' tightly as the two stared at the sky, and she was revealing her left hand and trying to use her magic to protect her adopted brother. She tried to protect her adopted parents before they were eaten, but her magic did nothing more than reveal bright blue light. No energy blasts, no nothing. She was unable to stop the rhino, and so their parents were killed.

Their troubles, if they had any at all, were over in 35 seconds flat.

The rhino appeared from the sky, and it seemed like a giant storm cloud that resembled a rhino. It had bright yellow eyes, and it roared, then disappeared.

But James' and Marcy's troubles were just beginning.

James, wearing a white nightshirt with dark blue stripes, woke up on a bed and sat up, terrified.

On a bed next to his was Marcy, who opened up her teal eyes, shivering. She had a white nightshirt with green stripes. "Mom and dad's deaths again, James?"

James only nodded, panting.

Marcy looked down at the ground for a second, frowning. "That incident was horrible...," she then gasped as she noticed James holding onto the travel book. "James, the travel book!"

James noticed it right away, gasped and hid it under his pillow, which made both him and Marcy sign in relief. That was a matter of luck because a few seconds later came in non other than James' and Marcy's guardians, which were James' aunts, who took in the two.

For now, they live here, with Aunt Sponge...

"Get up!" Who busted in was non other than Aunt Sponge, who was an overweight and rude woman. She wore a light pink rob with hot pink fur in the middle of it, slippers and blue cloth that was all over her head. Her skin was pale and eyes were brown.

The next one who busted in was non other than Aunt Spiker. Unlike Sponge, she was extremely skinny but she was rude as well Aunt Sponge. Her robe was a dark green color and she had on slippers and she had blue cloth on her head with a giant bow in the very middle. Her skin was pale and eyes were brown as well as Sponge.

"You lazy little bugs!" Aunt Sponge finished.

And Aunt Spiker.

"You two have already wasted four minutes of daylight!" Spiker pointed to her watch coldly.

James and Marcy stared at the two women with fright, and Marcy held James close to her, hoping to protect her adopted brother in any way possible. After her adopted parents died, there was no possible way Marcy was able to leave him. She had to protect him, and she also had no other place to live. When Spiker and Sponge took James in, they had belief work in the house would've been done twice as much if they had Marcy, so they payed no mind to her living there, though they treated her equally to James, in a cruel manner.

"Look at them." Aunt Spiker said sadistically. "Lollygagging in dreamland, when there's so much work to do!"

Marcy held onto James' tighter, and neither of them had any words to say to their guardians.

"Weeds to pull, wood to chop," Aunt Sponge said.

"Work! Work! Work! Work! Work!" the two screamed at them.

Without desire, James and Marcy got dressed to start with chores.


	2. Chapter 2

James then came out in a dark green shirt with long sleeves, a black belt, short dark blue pants, and black shoes. Under his green shirt, he had a white shirt with short sleeves. From behind him came Marcy, and she wore a dark blue dress and dirty white shoes. They gathered what they needed and started the chores. There was a variety of chores to do such as clean Spiker and Sponge's car, pulling the weeds, laundry, dusting, chopping wood, and more chores that made both end the day with exhaustion as they'd go to bed without even getting a delicious dinner or one praise. Marcy always got frustrated inside when Spiker and Sponge wouldn't even say a simple "Thank you," but she had no courage to stand up to them, especially where she had no idea how to use her magic for defense. If she stood up to Spiker and Sponge and had no magic to use, the aunts wouldn't only punish her but James as well, knowing how strongly they disliked both. Thinking of all that is what made Marcy keep her mouth shut.

While James and Marcy were getting their chores done, Spiker and Sponge remained outside doing nothing but admiring themselves as usual. They were wearing white clothing that was fit for nothing more than lazing around, giant sunhats, black sunglasses and their hair was finally revealed. Rather than cloth in their heads, they showed their auburn hair, which were curled up.

From the sky, a white butterfly with a bit of black in its wings fluttered down and landed on the table with white cloth, that had the aunts' lemonade. Right away, Spiker swatted it to death. She held the swatter on her face with the dead insect in disgust. "Ew... wouldn't want one of those nesting in your knickers,"

She tossed it away, staring at the swatter in disgust. Sponge in the meantime was distracted with staring at herself with a handheld mirror, sighing in a dreamy manner. "I look and smell...," she sniffed for a second. "I do declare, as lovely as a rose. Just feast your eyes upon my face!" she then turned to Spiker, staring at her with a wide smile after she took off her sunglasses. "Observe my shapely nose."

Spiker just rolled her eyes and took a sip of her lemonade as Sponge spoke. Sponge just continued to go on. "Behold my heavenly silky locks! And if I take off both my socks, you'll see my dainty toes!" she giggled as she took off her socks and showed Spiker her foot, which had toe nails painted red.

"But don't forget, my dearest Sponge..." Spiker took out her swatter and hit Sponge in the stomach with it. "How much your tummy shows!"

Spiker started to snicker, and Sponge just gasped in a flustered manner.

* * *

Later after James and Marcy finished their chores, James took out the travel book that their father has given them and started to stare at the page of the map in it, along with Marcy looking at it over James' shoulder. She was at his left side and had her right hand on her shoulder, staring at the travel book in a blank expression. James on the other hand smiled gently.

"How I wish we could go...," Marcy sighed.

James nodded, then stared out and straight at him and Marcy was the ocean. Were they really that far?

"You lazy bugs!" they heard Sponge say.

James quickly hid the travel book behind his back and he and Marcy turned around, as if nothing has happened.

"Who told you two to stop working?" Sponge asked coldly.

"Marcy and I finished the wood," James explained.

"Yes! That is indeed true." Marcy nodded.

Spiker came from behind and snatched the travel look from James and stared at it for a few seconds. "A travel book? How dare you even dream of leaving?!"

Spiker grabbed James and Sponge grabbed Marcy by the arms angrily.

"This is the only home you two will ever have!" Sponge declared.

"No one else would ever tolerate worthless little nothings like you two!" Spiker snapped as James and March were let go, and she handed Sponge the travel book.

"Where did you get this?" Sponge asked, searching through it. "Where?"

"Father gave it to us." James said.

"Just before he and mother died." Marcy added.

"Yeah. He said we'd go there one day." James finished.

"Stupid, foolish man!" Spiker hissed at James and Marcy, who sat on the ground. Marcy placed her right arm around James. She felt a sharp pain in her chest as she heard Spiker's words.

"Foolish man always dreaming! That's what got him killed!" Sponge said coldly.

"And your mother!" Spiker glared.

"Had his head in the clouds instead of looking where he was going." Sponge added.

"He never even saw that rhino coming!" Spiker said cruelly.

"That rhino!" Sponge teased James and Marcy.

"And that beast will get you two too if you don't behave!" Spiker pointed at both.

"Now get those stupid dreams out of your heads...," Sponge ripped the travel book up into pieces.

"And get back to work!" the two finished.

The pieces of the travel book were blown away by the gusting wind. At that moment, Marcy held James close in her arms. That life... they just couldn't live it no more.


	3. Chapter 3

In the evening, Spiker and Sponge were at the dinner table, dressed in sparkly clothing, finishing their meal. Spiker was in all black and Sponge wore black and gold. They each had black hats on too. As they were eating, the radio was set on and it had a man singing.

"Careful, Spongy!" Spiker teased her sister. "Wouldn't want to ruin that girlish figure!"

"Oh, shut up!" Sponge snapped, taking another mouthful.

Walking in the kitchen were James and Marcy, who were both done with their chores yet extremely exhausted. One thing was on their mind that very moment and that was food.

"Yes?" Spiker asked, seeing the two.

"Marcy and I finished all of the chores." James said.

Marcy nodded. "So we we wondering if...,"

The two were stepping forward only to have Sponge stop them with her right arm.

"What a coincidence!" Sponge laughed. "We finished all of the dinner!"

"Wow! While James and I worked hard all day, you gained some extra pounds Sponge!" Marcy thought to herself, though didn't want to say out loud.

"Oh Sponge! You're such a tease!" Spiker grinned widely. "There's something special waiting for you two in the oven."

James and Marcy smiled at her, then made their way to the oven. Marcy kept her fingers crossed. "Please be actual food, please be actual food...,"

James opened the over and what he spotted when he pulled the plat out were two rotting giant red fish heads."

"Ew..." Marcy gasped. All James did was grunt in a disgusted manner.

Sponge gulped as she looked at the two with a glass on her hand. "Oh, do let me guess: they're not good enough for them."

"What do you think this is? Buckingham Palace?" Spiker glared.

"Yuck!" James and Marcy stopped staring at the disgusting plate and spotted a bag of some chips.

"GET OUT OF OUR SIGHT!" Aunt Sponge snapped. "Go on!"

James quickly pointed to Marcy the bag of chips and she took it and hid it behind her back. They then quickly made their way upstairs without the bag being seen.

* * *

James and Marcy made their way up the attic, which was also known as their room. It was cold, and they hated sleeping there. Did they have any other choice? Not at all. Rather than thinking about that, James and Marcy sat on James' bed as they started to taste the few chips that were inside the bag.

"Better than nothing, I guess." Marcy stated. She stared at James with her teal eyes well up with tears. "James... I'm sorry...,"

James raised an eye brow as he stared at Marcy. "For what?"

"Thanks for my inability to use my magic for anything other than, well, lighting up a room, your mom and dad died."

"They were your mom and dad too, Marcy." James responded. "And it's not your fault. You're the only one in my life right now who I care about. You're my sister."

Marcy smiled softly at her adopted brother. "Thanks."

After the two finished the chips, James started to rip open the bag to lick the crumbs. They suddenly stared at the window of the attic, walk towards it, climb up to take a closer look and there was a spider web with a little black and white striped spider on it.

"A spider." Marcy gasped with delight.

"Hello there!" James greeted it. "Where did you come from?" James held out his hand to let the spider climb on it. "You know, you shouldn't build your web here in the window."

"Yeah. Spiker and Sponge might see you." Marcy sighed. "And they hate spiders...,"

"Marcy and I will be your friends, though," James smiled, placing the spider on the chair.

"Indeed." Marcy giggled.

"My name is James, that's what mother called me." James sang.

"And my name is Marcella." Marcy sang. "But everyone calls me Marcy."

"And my name is James," James pulled out a small box, revealing some of the items he had from when his parents were still alive, which included his old candle. "So it's always been."

He then pulled the crayons from the box out and started to color from the paper he got from the kitchen. Marcy came by his side and watched him, and both started to sing together. "Sometimes I forget, when I'm lonely or afraid. Then I'll go inside my head, and look for James and Marcy."

"Here's something I've never shown anyone but Marcy." James pulled out his old candle, and placed it on the hair where the spider was at.

"It's something he got from his birthday." Marcy explained. "From two very special people. Spider, I've never shown anyone this, other than James."

Marcy raised her right arm and revealed a spark of her light blue magic. "I was born with this type of magic. I don't know how and I don't know why I have it, nor can I use it to defend a loved one... but whenever I cheer James up by showing this to him when he's sad, it can be special... somehow."

James smiled at Marcy, and as he colored the paper, he and Marcy continued to sing together. "There's a city that I dreamed of, very far from here. Very, very far away from here. Very far away. There were people in the city, and they come to us. But it's very, very far away, you know. Very far away."

Marcy's teal eyes welled up with a few tears, but she quickly whipped them away. She noticed what James was drawing was both of them. It seemed as if they were somehow flying from their home to the city they dreamed of going to. Marcy placed her hand on her chest and thought to herself. "Oh how I really wish for this."

James then folded the paper into a giant ball, somehow resembling a hot air balloon.

"They'll say James, James, James, how are ya? Isn't it a lovely day?" James sang.

"And they'll say Marcy, Marcy, Marcy, how are ya? Isn't it a lovely day?" Marcy sang along.

"James, James, James."

"Marcy, Marcy, Marcy."

"We're so glad you came here, where we are. From so very, very, very far." the two sang together.

James let the spider crawl on his hands and placed it back on it's web. He lit up a candle that was on the ball of paper he made and let it fly out the window. It worked like a hot air balloon. "My name is James, James, James...,"

"And my name is Marcy, Marcy, Marcy..." Marcy finished, with a tear rolling down her cheek.

"Good night," James said to the spider.

"Yes, and pleasant dreams to you," Marcy added.

"And good night to you, James." Marcy hugged her adopted brother.

He hugged her right back. "Good night to you too, Marcy."

* * *

The next morning, James and Marcy woke up to the sound of Aunt Spiker's loud yell.

"Ahh! Spider! Vermin! Oh, beast!"

"Did she say... SPIDER?!" Marcy gasped.

"No, wait!" James screamed.

He and Marcy jumped out of their beds in their nightshirts and made their way to Spiker, who was swatting the spider's web. "SPONGE!"

"Wait, we'll get it! We'll get it!" James got on the chair, grabbed the spider, handed it to Marcy and got down with Marcy's assistance.

"Kill it! Kill it! KILL IT!" Spiker screamed, following James and Marcy, and swatting both of them with the swatter.

Out of the blue, Sponge barged in with bug spray and sprayed the whole room. "WHERE IS IT?!"

James and Marcy got hit in the face and both crashed into Sponge. The three of them fell down the stairs, with not much harm down.

On the floor, Marcy opened up her hands and gasped as she realized the spider wasn't on her hand anymore. "James! I lost the spider!"

"Get it! Get it!" Sponge screamed, with James and Marcy turning around and realizing the spider was on her face, still alive and was merely crawling.

Before James and Marcy made a single move, Spiker ran down the stairs with the swatter. "Kill it!"

"Get it! Get it! Get it!" Sponge screamed.

The spider quickly jumped off of Sponge's face and all Spiker smacked was Sponge herself.

James ran to get the spider while Marcy looked at Spiker and Sponge, making sure they wouldn't make a single move to the spider.

"I got it!" James said to Marcy.

Immediately, he and March ran out the door while Sponge got the swatter off her face. "You hit me in the face. You fit me in the face!"

"Oh, do shut up!" Spiker responded.

* * *

James and Marcy ran out of the house and quickly went down the stairs made of stone, trying not to trip by accident. They went near the stone wall, panting.

"Okay James, you can set the spider free." Marcy panted. "I think the spider's safe here."

"Go on, get out of here." James said to the spider, letting it out of it's hand to let it escape. "Get as far away from this place as you possibly can!"

"Oh I wish we could..." James and Marcy sighed together.

"What's stopping you?" a voice came out of nowhere. There was an unfamiliar looking old man near the stone wall. He wore mostly black with gold and silver around, and the gray gloves he wore were fingerless.

"Don't be frightened, James, Marcy." he assured them. "I mean you two no harm."

"How do you know our names?" James asked.

The old man chuckled. "I know more than just your names." He then crouched down and James and Marcy had their attention on him. "What would you say if I were to tell you that the answer to all your troubles is all right here." he then revealed the paper from the other night that James wrapped up while he and Marcy sang to the spider. "Inside this little bag?"

"Whoa..." Marcy gasped.

"Hey!" James gasped as well. "That's our-"

"Of course it is!" the old man replied. "Go on, James. Marcy, Have a look."

They both opened the bag together and gasped as they each noticed a glowing green things all around, squeaking.

"There's more magic in them than in all the rest of the world put together."

"But, what are they?" Marcy asked, with James nodding.

"Crocodile tongues," the old man answered.

James and Marcy's eyes widened at what they heard. "Tongues?"

"What?" Marcy asked.

"One thousand long, slimy crocodile tongues. Boiled in the skull of a dead witch for twenty days and twenty nights. Add the fingers of a young monkey, the gizzard of a pig, the beak of a parrot, and three spoonfuls of sugar. Stew for a week, and then, let the moon." the old man opened his left eye and it went complete white, causing James and Marcy to gasp again. "Do the rest." he winked, and James and Marcy still stared at him in complete awe. ""Have 'em, and marvelous things will happen... things even you two have never dreamt of."

"Like what?" James asked.

"Perhaps, I'd finally learn to use my magic to defend others?" Marcy mused.

"Well, like you'll never be miserable again. Neither of you. And you are miserable, aren't you, Marcy? James?"

"We are..," Marcy sighed.

"You two weren't meant to be, you know? And that place you two are dreaming of is not as far away as you think." the old man punched a stone out of the stone wall and James and Marcy peeked through the hole, what looked like non other was New York City, from a distance.

"New York City!" James smiled.

"The city where dream comes true," Marcy sighed happily.

"And it'll be that much closer once you take the first step." the old man now appeared from the opposite side of the wall.

"But how?" James asked.

"Yeah, this doesn't make any sense." Marcy agreed.

"Not up here, it doesn't," the man pointed to his head. "The answers are in here."

The man pointed to James' chest, then Marcy's chest. "And the magic is in here."

The man now appeared to the side of the wall where James and Marcy were at again, and handed them the bag with the Crocodile Tongues. "So James, Marcy? What'll it be?"

James and Marcy pondered for a few seconds, and the man stared at the two.

"We're in." Marcy finally said, with James taking the bag.

"Now listen to me, kids. Don't let them get away, because if they do, they'll work their magic on whoever or whatever they meet first." the man explained to the two. "Understand?"

James and Marcy nodded in agreement.

"Good." All of the sudden, fog surrounded them and once the fog was gone, so was the man.

"Whoa...," Marcy gasped. "This could be a big life change...,"


	4. Chapter 4

"What's going on out here?" James and Marcy heard Aunt Spiker yell out.

The two made their way out of where the stone wall was at and ran up the stone stairs. James had the bag of crocodile tongues in his hands, and by accident, James tripped over a stone, and Marcy bumped into him, so the two ended up falling together. The bag fell off as well and it ripped open, having the crocodile tongues bounce right out of it.

"Uuh! Oh! No, wait!" James screamed, trying to grab the crocodile tongues.

"Hold on!" Marcy gasped, trying to grab the crocodile tongues as well. "Wait! Wait!"

Each and every one of the crocodile tongues were capable of avoiding both James and Marcy, and bounced right away.

"Wait! No! No, wait!" both of them screamed.

"Wait just a-" James gasped.

"Hold on a sec-" Marcy gasped as well.

"Wait!"

All the crocodile tongues got away and right in front of James and Marcy, who were both crouched down, were Spiker and Sponge, in their pajamas.

"Here they are." Sponge said. "Get up! Both of you, you little worms! We sent you two out here to kill a spider!"

"Not to laze about!" Spiker snapped.

"Oh, like you two?" Marcy mused, but once again, didn't want to say her thoughts out loud.

"We weren't lazing about." James explained. "We tripped."

"How dare you disagree with us?!" Sponge snapped.

"Because he was telling the truth!" Marcy snapped back.

Spiker and Sponge remained with their eyes widened for a second, then Spiker turned to Sponge. "Beat them, Sponge."

Spiker was capable of grabbing both of them, and Sponge made her way to them, but she then sighed. "It's too early."

"Well that makes you the luckiest boy alive." Spiker said to James, then turned to Marcy. "And you, the luckiest girl alive. Now you two, come inside and get dressed!"

Spiker dragged James and Marcy, so they could make their way inside. Sponge yawned in the meantime, then gasped as she noticed something. "Spiker! Look! A peach!"

"A what?"

"A peach! There, on the branch!"

James and Marcy turned to the tree and they noticed on an old branch indeed was a fresh, new peach.

"Why, that old tree's never had so much as a blossom on it. Let alone a-" she then noticed the peach herself. "Well I'll be blown. There really is a peach there. A nice big one too!"

Spiker and Sponge grabbed on the branches of the tree, but neither were able to climb up the tree.

"How can we get it?" Sponge asked.

The sisters looked at each other for a second, then they realized something. "The boy and the girl!"

"Now you be a good little boy and teenage girl...," Sponge smirked. "And climb up there and get that peach for your dear aunties."

"Can we eat it?" James asked.

"Yeah, can we?" Marcy asked.

"Of course we can. We'll share it!" Sponge teased. "Me and your Aunt Spiker! Now start climbing."

Marcy glared at Sponge for a second, then paid no mind to her and climbed on her back, and had James climbing on her own back.

"Wait!" Spiker gasped.

"What?" Sponge called out.

"It's... it's growing."

"The boy and the girl?"

"No! The peach, you idiot! Look!"

The peach was growing abnormally quick. Marcy gasped, and mused. "Could it be... the crocodile tongues doing this?"

"Oh, come down!" Sponge said frantically to James and Marcy as she noticed the peach grow.

"But we won't get hurt." James said, reaching for the peach. Marcy kept her eyes squeezed shut, hoping the three wouldn't fall over.

"Climb down!"

And from there, Sponge pulled the two down.

"What a peach." Spiker gasped, watching the peach grow even more.

James and Marcy stared at the growing peach in awe. Neither of them have ever seen anything like that.

"Look Spiker! It's still growing!" Sponge gasped.

"I'm not blind, you dolt!" Spiker snapped at her sister. "I can see it for myself!"

The peach grew where it was almost taller than even the tree.

"Oh, look at it go!" Spiker watched the peach. "It's a miracle!"

Since the peach grew too big for the tree to hold, it touched the ground.

"It's coming down!" Sponge screamed. "Stand back!"

The four of them remained eye widened at what has just happened. The peach remained on the ground, and it was huge! It was over the size of Spiker and Sponge's car, and perhaps even the same size of the house.

"Oh my heaven!" Spiker gasped. "My!"

Spiker and Sponge continued to stare at the peach in awe.

"Marvelous things will happen." James whispered. "Just like he said!"

"It had to be it, it just had to be." Marcy nodded, eyes still widened.

"Shut up, you little grubs!" Spiker responded to the two. "This has nothing to do with either of you, so you two just keep away from it!"

James glared at her and Marcy stared at her, with arms crossed.

"Oh, can you smell that, Spikey?" Sponge asked, sniffing the overgrown peach with delight. "It smells delicious!"

She was about to taste it, but Spiker stopped her. "No! It smells like... money."

The two smirked as they had an idea in mind.

* * *

"Roll up, roll up! See the giant peach!" Sponge announced to the crowd of people. She and Sponge were now wearing tan trench coats with read shirts under and green hats. There was a fence around the giant peach, and many people came to see it. "The eighth wonder of the world! Have your money ready, ladies and gentlemen! Chance of a lifetime! Ten bob only!"

James and Marcy, who were in their room, were both staring at the window. They teared up as they noticed the crowd of people.

"Ohh... how I wish we could meet them...," Marcy sighed, whipping a tear away her cheek.

"No peeking at the peach! Have your money ready, ladies and gentlemen!" Sponge announced. "In you go!"

A young girl with dark hair who was wearing green smiled as she looked at the aunts. "Can we touch it?"

"Touch it?" Spiker gasped. "You want to touch it?"

"Huh, she'll be wanting to taste it next!" Sponge teased.

"Admission refused. This child has too many cheeky thoughts. Go away!" Spiker said, ripping up a ticket.

The girl and her family walked away, staring at the two aunts in horror.

"Quite right!" Sponge agreed.

"Oooh, Sponge." Spiker giggled, noticing an old man in a dark suit and black hat, holding a camera.

"A photographer!" Sponge exclaimed with delight.

The two aunts posed together as the photographer took their pictures.

"Move on in." Spiker said, taking the man's camera.

"No cameras allowed." Sponge stated.

As more people entered, James and Marcy continued to stare at the window. Not wanting to watch more of this, Marcy laid on her bed and sighed. "I hope our life changes soon, James. I really do."

* * *

Late at night, Spiker and Sponge, wearing their robes once again, were busy counting down their money.

"Yoo-hoo!" Sponge called James and Marcy. "Come down here you two!"

James came down dressed in a black suit with a white shirt under, brown tie, tan pants, white socks and black shoes. Marcy came down a few seconds after wearing a short sleeved dress that was black on top and dark blue on the bottom, a white belt, stockings, black boots, and a golden necklace, bracelet and hoop earrings.

"Yes Auntie Sponge?" both James and Marcy asked.

"Ooooh, you two are all spiffed up!"

"I was hoping to play with the children." James responded.

"Yeah, it's a delight to meet new people." Marcy added.

"Awww," the sisters said as they looked at each other.

"The children have gone." Spiker answered.

James and Marcy looked at each other, frowning at the response of that.

"But you can play with their garbage!" Spiker said, giving James and Marcy each a wooden stick.

"Heh-heh-heh! Garbage. Heh-heh-heh!" Sponge laughed.

James and Marcy each got their own wooden sticks and picked up two wooden buckets.

"And don't either of you think of going near our peach." Spiker warned.

"Cause if you do, remember, they never did catch that rhino." Sponge teased.

From there, James and Marcy left to go outside with the wooden sticks and buckets to start cleaning the garbage.


	5. Chapter 5

Once they were outside, James and Marcy each picked up garbage from the wooden sticks and placed them on the buckets with blank expressions.

"James." Marcy whispered. "I seriously wish I could get this whole 'magic thing' right now because if I was able to use my magic well enough to defend others, Spiker and Sponge would get it good.

Marcy placed down the wooden bucket and stick and raised both of her arms up, but all that did was make her hands light up bright blue, but once again, nothing more.

"This magic is pointless," March sighed, putting her arms down.

"Marcy?" James asked. "If you were able to defend someone else with your magic, what exactly would your magic do?"

"Well James, with magic like this, it looks as if I have the ability to have energy blasts for me to attack those who tries to hurt you or me." Marcy answered. "But... I have absolutely no idea how to do that. I'm sorry."

James placed a hand on her shoulder, smiling. "It's not your fault."

"But what am I supposed to do?" Marcy asked, her teal eyes welling up with tears. "I wanna save us. I wanna learn why I have this magic. I wanna know what's the use of it."

"Maybe it'll come to you one day." James responded. "If Aunt Spiker and Aunt Sponge takes things too far one day, maybe you'll be ready to fight back."

"It's not just me who has to stand up to them though," Marcy said, whipping tears off her cheeks. "You too."

"I wish I could." James sighed, picking up another piece of trash and placing it in the bucket. As he stabbed a piece of trash repeatedly, he then realized something. It was non other than the bag that formerly had the crocodile tongues in it.

"Is this what I think it is?" Marcy picked it up.

"It is." James nodded.

The two ripped it open to see if anything, like a crocodile tongue, was inside and suddenly, two crocodile tongues hopped right out of it. James and Marcy gasped at the sight and walked quickly after the crocodile tongues that hopped after the peach.

"Hold on!" Marcy yelled, going after the crocodile tongues. "Wait, please!"

"No!" James yelled, after them as well. "Wait a moment! Wait!"

Near the peach, James and Marcy crouched down, hoping they were each capable of catching one. To their disappointment, once they opened their hands, neither of them got even one. They then looked up at the giant peach and smelled the aroma of it with pleasure.

"It smells fresh and sweet," Marcy smiled.

"Should you and I... taste some of it?" James asked.

"Yes. We need to eat something healthy," Marcy answered. "With all that Aunt Spiker and Aunt Sponge has ever given us, this will be the freshest food we'll ever have."

James smiled, then he got a handful of the peach with his two hands, and Marcy did the same for herself. What neither of the two noticed was that the two crocodile tongues were right near them, hopping and squeaking as usual. All of a sudden, one crocodile tongue jumped into James' piece and another jumped into Marcy's piece. Just a mid second later, both James and Marcy bit into their pieces. At first, they swallowed with pleasure, but they then made faces as they felt something about them inside was different and particular. At that moment, they heard a sound from behind them. They turned around and noticed a huge hole in the peach, which glowed a bright green color. It was big enough for a human to crawl inside of it. James and Marcy dropped their pieces of the peach as they stared at the hole. James put away the bucket he had for picking up the garbage, and the two walked to the peach to take a closer look inside the hole, that seemed very tunnel-like.

"Should we go inside?" James asked.

"Yes," Marcy gasped with excitement as she stared into the hole. "You go in first."

James then crawled inside the hole and right after he was inside, Marcy crawled in after him. What neither of the two noticed was how after they were right inside, the hole of the peach disappeared. As they climbed in, their forms started to change where both their heads were larger and bodies were smaller. Neither noticed as they were distracted by their curiosity of the tunnel, and the voices they started to hear from deep inside, where there was the green light.

"Here now, where do you think you're going yank?" an unfamiliar female voice echoed. The accent seemed Scottish.

"I'm goin' stir-crazy!" a male voice answered, with a heavy Brooklyn accent. "I gotta look around, plan our escape from Spiker and Sponge."

"Are you out of your mind?" another female voice asked, who seemed to have had a gentle French accent.

"Escape?" another male voice responded with nerves, and it appeared to have an English accent. "To where? We'll all be squashed... swatted... smooshed!"

As James and Marcy got closer, they gasped at how they saw a silhouette of a tall grasshopper speak in a British accent. "No one's going to 'smoosh' you, my dear boy. You're six feet long now."

That silhouette disappeared as another one appeared that resembled what looked like a butterfly, due to it's huge wings. "Exactly." that female voice spoke, with the same French accent.

"Bigger target!" another silhouette came in, looking like a worm with glasses.

"Let the biddies come!" yet another silhouette appeared, and it had many arms. "I'll take 'em both on! I'm indefeatable! I'm indivisible! I'm-"

As James reached in, he ripped the paper that was in between him and Marcy, and the mysterious silhouettes. After the paper ripped, James fell in. Marcy tried to save him by grabbing on his legs, hoping to pull him back up. Instead, she fell in too. "AHHH!"

"IN TROUBLE!"

James and Marcy bounced over the figure with many arms, flew over the figures that resembled a ladybug, butterfly and grasshopper and slide over the one that resembled a worm with glasses.

"It's Spiker and Sponge! They found us!" the worm-like figure screamed.

Marcy was capable of standing up and grabbed James hand, revealing her other hand that was glowing bright blue. "Come on magic, work!" she mused.

Unexpectedly, she and James got knocked down by a lantern that swung. "Hello!"

"Whoa!" Marcy laid on the ground, without revealing her magic anymore, looking at James who also laid on the ground with concern.

"No, no, no. It's the lad and the young lady from the house." the grasshopper-like figure said, putting on a monocle on his right eye. "What were their names?"

"Miserable Ticks!" the figure with multiple arms butted in.

"I thought they were Rotten Little Grubs." the worm-like figure said.

"No, that's what those horrible aunts called them!" the ladybug-like figure said, flying over them, causing both to scream. They screamed more as they saw the butterfly-like figure fly over them as well. It had a slender body, but huge wings. "Yes, but what are their real names?"

"Their real names are... well... they're... eh... eh..,"

James and Marcy backed away with fear, Marcy having one arm around James for protection and the other one out, revealing her magic again as her hand glowed a bight blue color. Unexpectedly, a spider-like figure jumped down near them. "It's James and Marcy." It had a French accent like the butterfly-like figure, but the tone seemed different.

"AHHH!" James and Marcy screamed, falling back.

"Look at what you've done now, miss," the ladybug-like figure said, facing close to James and Marcy.

Marcy knew her magic would be no use, so she wrapped her arms around James hard. "No!"

"Please!" James screamed. "Don't eat us!"

"Eat you?" the figure gasped.

The figures then started to laugh.

"Hey, Glowworm!" the creature with multiple arms yelled out. "Turn up your lights!" the creature them clapped two hands and what seemed like a lantern was a glowworm, and it lit up the place completely.

James and Marcy blinked a few times and noticed the figures were giant bugs right away. They were all wearing cloths! The male yellow-orange centipede had blue eyes, wore a brown hat with a white top brown overalls, and had a cigar from his mouth; which explained the smell of smoke. His accent was indeed from Brooklyn. The green male grasshopper had a black coat, along with white under, light gray pants, white shoes and even a monocle on his right eye. The female spider had a black and white striped body, golden eyes and wore a beret and bandana of the same color, teal. She had a pale face, short black hair, had black gloves and boots on and she even wore black lipstick. She spoke in a French accent, unlike most of the others. The female ladybug had black hair, a black top with white spots all around it, a red hat with black on the middle where there were white spots, a red purse, black shoes and she had very light blue skin. The shell she had was red with black spots. The female butterfly with the dark blond hair and sapphire blue eyes had eye shadow, a beret, scarf, gloves, boots, a top and skirt of all of the same color; dark purple. (Only her top and skirt had black stripes too.) She wore stockings, a black belt with a golden buckle and deep pink lipstick. The black and orange wings she had showed she was indeed a monarch butterfly. Her skin was a pale white color and spoke in a soft accent that was French, just as well as Miss Spider but the accent was not as strong. The male earthworm was around a perhaps brownish color. He wore black glasses and red bow tie around his neck. The female glowworm had gray skin, white hair, red earrings and a brown dress. The light she glown was a golden yellow color.

"Whoa," Marcy gasped. "It isn't every day when something like this happens."


	6. Chapter 6

James and Marcy stared at the giant bugs with their eyes widened and the their jaws. Neither knew what to say. Marcy was then capable of speaking up. "So... you won't eat us?"

"I'm a vegetarian." Mr. Grasshopper answered.

"I am one as well," Butterfly added.

"I eat dirt," Earthworm said.

"No one will be eating you, James and Marcy," Miss Spider said, smiling. Her smile ended as Centipede pushed her out of the way, causing her to crash into Earthworm and Butterfly, and then then swung around.

"Yeah, she'll just puncture your heads and suck out the brains!" Centipede said.

"Yeah Centipede, that helps," Butterfly glared at him, walking over to James, Marcy and Mrs. Ladybug.

Miss Spider then stopped swinging and dropped right in front of Centipede, staring face to face with him. She gave him a deadly glare, and it caused his heart to leap.

"That, I am saving for you!" Miss Spider hissed, diving in to get him, but missed as Centipede crawled under her.

Centipede came out of her other side, grinning. "Whoa! Pretty fast, long legs!"

Miss Spider quickly turned around and hissed at him, causing him to climb up the ladder and scream.

"Oh! Such rude behavior!" Mrs. Ladybug frowned.

"True that," Butterfly sighed, but she then had second thoughts. "Gotta admit though, it was kinda cute."

After Miss Spider walked off, Centipede climbed down the ladder and glared at Butterfly after hearing her comment. "Oh shut up."

Butterfly rolled her eyes, and put her attention back into James and Marcy.

"There's no need to be frighten dearies," Mrs. Ladybug said, cleaning James' face and smiling at Marcy.

"Yeah, nothing bad is gonna happen, sweeties," Butterfly nodded in agreement.

"Are you sure about that?" Marcy asked, raising her eyebrow.

"Yes! You're enormous bugs!" James said, still not amused.

"Fascinating, isn't it?" Mr. Grasshopper asked.

"We've all changed," Mrs. Ladybug pulled out a mirror, "And so have you, James and Marcy,"

James and Marcy looked at themselves in the mirror and realized they had changed. They seemed to have resembled china dolls. They gasped and stared at themselves through the mirror. Was that really them?

"The old one who gave Marcy and I the green things.. he said marvelous things will happen," James said.

"These must be the marvelous things he meant. Marvelous things will happen...," Marcy nodded.

"Did they say "Marvelous pigs in satin?" Glowworm asked.

"No my dear lady," Mr. Grasshopper was given a megaphone, "Marvelous things will happen!"

"I'm feeling concerned for her," Marcy frowned.

He let out a sigh. "Poor Glowworm. She's a little deaf."

"I however have exquisite hearing,"Earthworm said.

Centipede ran up to him,"Oh listen to this,"

He grabbed the megaphone and yelled, causing Earthworm to scream in terror, "Lets get out of here!"

"That is a good point you have," Butterfly smiled for a mid second, then frowned and muttered. "For once..."

"You mean leave the hill?!" James' brown eyes widened.

"We must, James!" Marcy gasped with excitement.

"We can't! The rhino will get us!"

"Oh yeah...,"

"RHINO!" Earthworm buried himself in a giant glove.

"A rhino?" Butterfly mused. She has never seen a rhino near the hill. Not once.

"I say dear boy and girl. I've lived on this miserable hill for decades. There are no rhinoceros here," Mr. Grasshopper explained.

"Expect for Sponge," Centipede added, "She's twice as big as rhino, eh kid?"

Centipede, James and Marcy laughed at the joke.

"And twice as dangerous," Miss Spider added, "My life hangs by a thread everyday,"

"I had to send all three hundred of me children to savor pastures," Mrs. Ladybug said.

"Your aunts are dangerous, you know," Butterfly turned to James and Marcy with an emotionless expression. "They killed my parents and my older sisters."

"HA! With you call hiding in solid rock is fun," Earthworm said.

"I can't even remember what fun is," James said.

"Same with me," Marcy sighed.

Centipede ran to them right away, "Well that's because you've been stuck here too long. Listen to me, kids. I know a place that will refresh your memory,"

"And where shall that be?" Butterfly asked.

Centipede ran to Glowworm, spinning on her lantern and started to sing right away, with a red spotlight shining on him. "Bright lights, big city. That's where we gotta go." Centipede jumped off and got back to the others. "Where the food is great and the bugs are so pretty," he sang, about to dance with both Mrs. Ladybug and Butterfly. "I'd like to get my arms around a hundred or so." he spun them around," I'd hug 'em, squeeze 'em, hold 'em tight." he then grabbed Earthworm and tossed him at them. "Sleep all day. Dance all night. I want the bright lights and the big city. That's the life for me, yeah." and then he ran to the wall, made a flip and jumped onto Miss Spider's web. "That's the life for-"

"You little maggot." Miss Spider sang under a blue spotlight, interrupting Centipede. "Have you never seen the moon gliding 'cross the western sky? A dead oak tree by the water side." Miss Spider made a silhouette of a crescent moon and an old oak tree with the smoke of Centipede's cigar, and then blew into it. "Putrid vapors rising."

"That spider is so cool," Marcy exclaimed with delight.

"That sounds lovely, dear." Mrs. Ladybug started to sing under a yellow spotlight. "I'm sure we'd all agree. But I prefer the sunshine. A little park right in the center of the town. Flowers everywhere." she then revealed red and white flowers she had with her. "Children all around me, I'd love it." she tossed the flowers down and danced around James and Marcy. "Landing on a baby's cheek, so warm. It's wonderful, wonderful." she allowed James and Marcy to sniff some white flowers. "That's the life for me. That's the life for me. That's the life, that's the life for me,"

"Glorious, indeed it is." Butterfly found herself singing under a purple spotlight. "I would love to be appreciated. I wish to know others who loves what I do." she then ran into Centipede, who was off of Miss Spider's web at the moment and took the cigar out of his mouth.

"Hey!" Marcy giggled watching that.

Ignoring him, Butterfly used the smoke to create silhouettes of slender dresses that'd be used in a club, and then a silhouette of a high-heeled boot. "To be known for my artistic mind, and to be admired for who I am." she sang in a high note, then spread her wings, dropping Centipede's cigar (who grabbed it and ran off), and flew not too far away from Mrs. Ladybug, James and Marcy. "That's the life for me. That's the life for me. That's the life, that's the life for me."

Mrs. Ladybug slid in front of Butterfly as she finished the last sentence and tossed a top hat and cane to Mr. Grasshopper, who started singing next.

"Elegant conversation" Mr. Grasshopper sang under a white spotlight, climbing down the ladder, but got interrupted by Centipede.

"Bright lights, big city,"

Kicking him out of the way, Mr. Grasshopper continued to sing. "An elevated point of view,"

"That's where I'd go," Centipede jumped in once again.

"Intellectual stimulation" Mr. Grasshopper sang, hitting Centipede in the head with his cane.

"Yeah, maybe for you," Centipede said and left right away before Mr. Grasshopper could make his next move.

"And someone you love to share it with you," Mr. Grasshopper sang.

Mr. Grasshopper, Mrs. Ladybug, Butterfly, and Centipede started to dance on the floor glowing a bright blue color. "It would be wonderful, wonderful" they sang. "That's the life for me,"

"You call that a life?" Earthworm asked.

"That's the life for me," the others sang.

"It's no pile of dirt!" Earthworm said.

"That's the life," Mrs. Ladybug sang under a yellow spotlight.

"That's the life," Mr. Grasshopper sang under a white spotlight.

"That's the life," Centipede sang under a red spotlight.

"That's the life," Butterfly sang under a purple spotlight.

"That's the life," Miss Spider sang under a blue spotlight.

"That's the life for-" they then got interrupted by the voice of Sponge.

"Where are you two hiding, you rotten little grubs?"


	7. Chapter 7

Everyone fell silent when they heard Sponge's yell that came from outside. Centipede knew something had to be done, so he ran to the ladder that would lead to go outside.

"Time to go make a pest of myself," Centipede laughed when he climbed up.

James and the others trembled. Was Centipede going to give them away? Would Spiker and Sponge find them this way? Marcy held up her right hand, wishing her sorcery would do something to defend everyone. Sadly, all it did was glow blue, once again. Marcy put her hand down and sighed. "We're doomed."

"Look at this place," everyone heard Sponge say, "It's still are you? You pesky little worms,"

Earthworm immediately screamed.

"Not you! US!" James and Marcy said at the same time.

"You two better not be near our peach," Sponge yelled.

"They're getting closer!" Butterfly jumped.

"Oh please! Don't let them spray us!" Mrs. Ladybug yelled.

"Spray us? They'll see that yank up there and come after us with a shovel. It happened to my brother," Earthworm said.

"How awful!" James said.

"Absolutely!" Butterfly's blue eyes widened.

"Just cruel!" Marcy frowned.

"Split him right down the middle. Now I have two half brothers," Earthworm said.

Butterfly felt lightheaded. "Literally..."

Mr. Grasshopper hushed everyone, "They'll hear us!"

Marcy trembled more, feeling a tear roll down her cheek. She wished she could learn about her sorcery and even _why _she had it in the first place. If she was born with such magic, it had to serve a purpose to protect someone.

* * *

In the meanwhile, Centipede opened the lid at the top of the peach and looked around. He spotted Spiker and Sponge searching around the peach from down below. They were definitely looking for James and Marcy.

"Where are you, girl and boy?" Spiker called.

"I think I hear a rhino right here," Sponge said.

Centipede looked around for a solution to the problem and spotted the stem which held the peach, causing him to smirk.

"This will be a snap," he whispered.

The sound of him pinching the peach stem caught Spiker and Sponge's attention.

"I really do hear something," Spiker whispered.

Centipede finished pinching after a few seconds and he whispered, "Timber!"

He jumped into the peach before he got spotted. The peach was shaking and everyone felt it. Their eyes widened and they all turned to Centipede.

"Is it me, or is the peach SHAKING?!" Marcy yelled.

"What's that?" James exclaimed.

"Fasten your seat belts kids," Centipede said.

"What do you mean? Centipede! What did you do?!" Butterfly stared at the Centipede with disbelief.

Spiker and Sponge quickly rushed to their car and the peach started to roll.

"We're turning,"James asked.

"What.. what have you done?" Earthworm asked with fright as everyone started to slide.

Spiker and Sponge quickly got into their car and tried to start it. The peach rolled closer to them and they still tried to get the car. They were too late. The peach rolled over the car with them in it. Everyone was running as quickly as they can trying to keep up with the speed the peach was rolling at. The peach rolled off the hill, across a graveyard and flew over a the peach landed after flying over the church. Everyone in the peach couldn't run lost their footing and were rolling with the peach.

"Here stomach, here stomach, HERE STOMACH!" Centipede yelled.

Everyone then got squished up against the wall of the peach as it continued to roll. They couldn't move and were all too dizzy to even talk.

Marcy, just as the rest, was getting extremely lightheaded. Out of complete nowhere, her hand flashed light blue and a small beam of light shot up, and quickly disappeared. "What the...,"

Before Marcy could think, everyone felt themselves rise off the ground again and they heard a loud SPLASH! Everyone opened their eyes and looked around. They were piled on top of each other.

"Where are we?" James asked.

Centipede sat up and could see a strange moving object on the used his pinchers to pinch it and he heard a loud OUCH!

"OW! Somebody pinched me,"Earthworm screeched.

Centipede quickly apologized, "Thought you were the spider,"

Miss Spider gasped and quickly slapped the nearest thing in front of her, hoping it was Centipede.

"Ouch!" Grasshopper said, "What was that?"

Miss Spider quickly apologized herself, "Excuse. I thought you were the Centipede,"

"Hey Glowworm! How about some light?" Centipede asked, ignoring what Miss Spider said.

"I can't hear you dear. I'll have to put my light on," Glowworm replied.

A light suddenly came on and everyone could suddenly heard someone crying for help. It was Mrs. Ladybug, who couldn't get up. Miss Spider let James down so he could help her. Marcy, who was on top of Miss Spider, quickly jumped down to help as well.

"Help! Help! This is so un-ladybug like," she yelled.

James and Marcy walked over to her.

"Don't worry." James assured her.

"We'll have you right side up in no time," Marcy said calmly.

They helped push her back up straight, "Thank you, Marcy and James. Where are you two going?"

Marcy started climbing up the ladder with James following her.

"To see where we landed," James answered.

In the meantime, Butterfly turned at Centipede and Miss Spider, who were glaring at each other and smirked but then followed Mr. Grasshopper, Mrs. Ladybug and Earthworm to get outside of the peach. Once they were up and met up with James and Marcy, they noticed a huge difference. They were no longer in the hill. In fact, there was no sign of land at all. There was merely a body of water.

"Fascinating isn't it?" Mr. Grasshopper asked.

"I have to agree with you, Mr. Grasshopper." Marcy smiled.

"What?" Earthworm asked, "What's fascinating? Tell me. Don't leave me dangling,"

Miss Spider then came up,"We're in the middle of the... how do you say? The big puddle."

Centipede climbed up next and heard Miss Spider's comment, "Biggest puddle of them all angel fangs,"

Miss Spider turned to him and showed her bare fangs. Centipede only finished his sentence. "The Atlantic ocean."

Mr. Grasshopper then butted in and corrected him,"Technically,the Pacific is larger,"

Butterfly gave a small smile. "That is correct."

"Well..,"Centipede threw his cigar in the air, "That.. goes without saying,"

"But there is land in sight?" Earthworm asked.

"Nothing but blue skies and clear waters," Mrs. Ladybug answered.

"UGH!" Earthworm moaned as he turned to Centipede,"This is all your fault!"

Centipede jumped back, "HEY! Wasn't for me, we'd all be Spiked and Sponged by now,"

Miss Spider interrupted the argument, "This old man with his green things... did he happen to speak where we are going?"

"No." Marcy shook her head.

"All he said was the answer would be right here," James answered.

When James touched his chest where is heart was, he could here paper crumble. He looked in his jacket and pulled out a piece of paper. It said New York on it. It was his travel book.

"Our travel book," James gasped.

"The one dad gave us?" Marcy asked.

He nodded, opened it up and saw the peach marked on the map from England to New York, "And look! There's the peach! We're going to New York City!"

Everyone's eyes grew wide. New York City? A new home? It could make dreams come true!

"New York?" Centipede asked, "They love me there!"

"Wonderful!" James said, "They've got a whole park full of leaves for you, Mrs. Ladybug,"

Mrs. Ladybug looked at the picture James was pointing at and smiled.

"Central Park!" Centipede said to her.

"And loads of dark hiding places," Marcy continued, turning to Miss Spider.

A smile crept across Miss Spider's face.

"Night clubs," Centipede said to her.

"And there's a lot of fashion designing in New York, Miss Butterfly." Marcy turned to Butterfly.

Butterfly's bright blue eyes lite up and she gave Marcy a small smile.

"Fashion shows," Centipede jumped in front of her.

"And museums and concerts," James and Marcy said at the same time, showing Mr. Grasshopper the picture.

"Not to mention Yankee Stadium," Centipede said to him.

"What about me?" Earthworm felt like there was nothing in New York for him.

"Why they got miles and miles of underground tunnels," James said.

Earthworm smiled.

"The subway!" Centipede said to him.

"My father says it's the place where dreams come true," James said.

"My adopted father...," Marcy thought to herself, feeling a tear roll down her cheek but smiling at the same time.

"That's the life for me!" Centipede started to sing.

"That's the life for me." Mrs. Ladybug sang.

"That's the life for me." Mr. Grasshopper and Centipede sang together.

"That's the life for me!" Mrs. Ladybug, Miss Spider and Butterfly all joined in.

"That's the life," James and Marcy sang.

"That's the life, that's the life, that's the life, that's the life for me!" everyone sang together.

"New York it is then!" Mr. Grasshopper said. Now how do we get there?"

Centipede stood up, "I'll get us there,"

"What?" Marcy's teal eyes widened.

"You?" Mr. Grasshopper asked.

"Sure. I've sailed all the five seas," Centipede said, getting in Miss Spider's face. "From the sun drenched wreaths of Bora Bora to the icy shores of Tripoli,"

"Oh really?" Butterfly wasn't amused.

"Commodore Centipede they used to call me," Centipede smirked.

Mr. Grasshopper rolled his eyes and counted all the seas. Centipede was missing two seas.

"Seven,"

"Huh?" Centipede was dumbfounded.

"There are seven seas and Tripoli is in the sun tropics...Commodore," he corrected Centipede.

Centipede ignored his statement. "Trim the sails!"

"There are no sails," Mrs. Ladybug explained.

"Stoke the engines!" he yelled again.

"There are no engines," Earthworm said.

"Is there anything on this peach?!" Centipede asked.

"No there isn't, Commodore," Butterfly said sharply, rolling her eyes.

"I can't work with this miserable crew!" he said throwing his hat on the ground.

"What an attitude...," Butterfly glared. "Like it's our fault."

"Great! We're stuck here until we shrivel up and die," Earthworm said.

"Highly improbable," Mr. Grasshopper said cleaning his eye piece.

"That's a relief," Mrs. Ladybug said.

"Then what will happen?" Butterfly pondered.

"We're far more likely to drown," Mr. Grasshopper said.

Everyone gasped. Was it the end for them then? Were they doomed to die at sea?

James stood on top of the stem and looked to the sky. He saw a flock of seagulls and started to smile. Marcy, who was standing next to the stem looked up and noticed James' smile, then looked up at the sky and smiled too. "Tell them."

"I know! We could...," James stopped himself, "No. It's a stupid idea,"

"Compared to what?" Mr. Grasshopper looked over at Centipede.

"Hey!" Centipede snapped.

"Well, we could fly out," James said.

"Yes, up in the sky." Marcy nodded.

Everyone mused for a few seconds. Centipede was the first to speak.

"He's right. It's stupid," Centipede said, which caused Mr. Grasshopper to glare at him.

"How would you do it, Marcy and James?" Mrs. Ladybug looked up at James.

"Well we looked up at the sky." Marcy explained. "We saw the seagulls and it did give us the idea that it could be with the seagulls."

"Exactly, but we'll need string," James said.

"Oh well I'll just go to the stationer's and pick up some paper clips while I'm at it!" Earthworm said.

"I have string," Miss Spider said, revealing her string. "Miles of string,"

"And we'll need bait. Bird bait," James said.

"Bird bait? Where do you expect we're going to find bird bait out here in the middle of the...the..?" Earthworm stopped and looked around.

Centipede, Mr. Grasshopper, Mrs. Ladybug and Butterfly stared at him with smirks. Mrs. Ladybug pulled a cow bell out of her handbag. Earthworm knew what was coming.

"Oh no. Oh no! Have you lost your minds?" Earthworm panicked.

All four of them grabbed Earthworm and dragged him back inside the peach and tied the bell around him, which caused him to scream.


	8. Chapter 8

Earthworm, with the bell tied around him was lying at the top of the peach while everyone else was inside waiting for the first seagull.

"They've lost their minds! Anything, but birds," Earthworm yelled.

James, who along with Centipede were hiding in the main tunnel that led up to the was top. Centipede was holding Earthworm while James had the string at the end.

"Don't worry. I'm right here. Now wiggle," James whispered.

"NO!" Earthworm yelled.

"But they won't come if you don't wiggle," James said.

"Exactly and you can't make me," Earthworm said.

Centipede was obviously tired of hearing this. He ran up to Earthworm not wanting to hear it anymore.

"Oh yeah!"Centipede laughed. He started tickling Earthworm, causing him to laugh hard and wiggle.

"Oh! HEY! No fair! Mockingbirds munched my mother!" Earthworm yelled while laughing.

As Earthworm wiggled, the bell started to ring. He continued to laugh until a seagull heard him and flew over to him.

James noticed the bird. "Here comes the first one. Get ready to pull down there,"

"My sisters were swallowed by swallows!" Earthworm yelled.

The sound of the bird could be heard and James gave the signal.

"Pull!" he yelled.

Everyone pulled Earthworm back inside the peach and James threw the string, which got caught around the bird to keep it from escaping. He then quickly tied it to the stem to keep it from escaping.

"It worked! I got one!" he yelled.

"Shhh. I hear teeth. Great, big, gnashing teeth!" Earthworm yelled.

A low rumbling sound could be was coming from the ocean. There was a whirlpool in it causing the sound.

"Sounds like a rhinoceros!" James said terrifyingly.

Mr. Grasshopper and Centipede came out to see for themselves.

"In the ocean? Scientifically impossible," Mr. Grasshopper said.

From down below, Miss Spider could hear it.

"I hear something too," she said.

Butterfly, also in the peach, mused for a few seconds. "What must it be?"

Marcy was also inside the peach and trembled a bit at the idea that it might be the rhino. "Please don't be it..."

Mr. Grasshopper looked through his monocle and his eyes widened.

"It's a school of tuna. They're being sucked into some sort of machine."

"What do you mean?" James asked as he turned to him.

Mr. Grasshopper gave him his monocle, "Take a look!"

James looked through the monocle and saw a giant, metal shark pop out of the water.

"It's a giant shark!"James yelled.

Centipede took the monocle and looked through it and saw the shark. He jumped as it started whistling.

"It seemed to have spotted us!" Centipede said tremulously.

Everyone gasped and watched as the shark started swimming toward them.

"What do we do?" Centipede asked, turning to James and shaking him back and forth, "WHAT DO WE DO?!"

James pointed toward the seagulls, "The seagulls! It's our only chance!"

Mr. Grasshopper counted the seagulls, "It would take the whole flock and then some. We'll never do it in time,"

The sound of that made Centipede take off his hat, holding it, and made him shake.

"We'll use Miss Spider's web for a net. Hurry!" James said.

Miss Spider quickly took down her web as she heard that. Marcy quickly ran to help to assist her at it.

"Throw it here, dearies!" Mrs. Ladybug yelled to get it.

Miss Spider and Marcy threw the web toward Mrs. Ladybug who passed it to Butterfly and she threw it up to James. "Here you go, James!"

James grabbed the web from above and turned right back to Earthworm.

"Wiggle, Mr. Earthworm!" he pleaded. "Our lives depend on it!"

"I can't, I'm all wiggled out." he said as he tried to get back in the peach.

Centipede groaned. No more of this should be heard. He grabbed him before he got in.

"Here, let me help you." he grinned. The centipede was definitely up to something.

He tossed him up, grabbed his tail, and began to spin him around, causing him to scream. He was being spun so hard that the bell started ringing.

"Come and get it!" Centipede yelled to the seagulls. "Get your fresh, hot wienie!"

The seagulls heard the sounds of his yells and and seeing the worm and flew. The shark continued to swim closer in the meantime.

Centipede spotted the birds. "Come on, baby!"

When the seagulls were close enough, he jumped back into the peach with Earthworm. In the meantime, James got the seagulls with the net from Miss Spider's web.

"I got them! Hand me the loops!"

Miss Spider, Marcy, Butterfly and Mrs. Ladybug threw more strings up for James to use. James tied the strings to the stem and got Mr. Grasshopper and Centipede to help with tying the seagulls up as quickly as possible.

"Hurry!" James yelled.

"Shake a leg there!" Mr. Grasshopper glared at Centipede.

"Keep your pants on! I've only got twelve hands!"

Without the three noticing, the shark swam closer and closer to the peach.

"It's getting closer!" Earthworm cried out from in the tunnel.

After the seagulls were all tied up to the peach, the net got off of them causing them to fly up in the air to carry the peach away.

"Seagulls away!" Centipede yelled.

Due to the flock of birds flying, the peach rose up to the sky. Immediately the giant shark shot out a canon. That caused a metal cable to come out of the shark and fly over to the peach. The harpoon was strong enough to cut through the peach and inside, where it almost hit Miss Spider, Marcy, Butterfly and Mrs. Ladybug and caused the four to gasp.

"Oh, no!" James yelled as he looked at the peach.

Mr. Grasshopper turned to the peach as well. "Oh, dear!"

Due to the peach being caught by the shark's harpoon, it stopped. The motion stopped so sudden that Centipede fell off and landed on the cable, close to falling in the ocean. He grabbed on cable in time and caught his hat with one of his many arms.

A flying jaw flew over Centipede, which caused him to scream. It then flew over the peach and chomped it's way through some of the string that held the seagulls, who later started flying away from the peach.

"They're getting away!" James yelled.

"Hop on, James!" Mr. Grasshopper said.

James quickly hopped on the insect's back, and Mr. Grasshopper jumped with full strength to catch up with the seagulls.

"Now, nab them!" Mr. Grasshopper grabbed the strings that held the seagulls while James grabbed one, and quickly tugged them.

Two jaws, that came from the metal shark, headed towards James and Mr. Grasshopper. As soon as that caught their attention, they screamed at the top of their lungs. "Help!"

"What was that?" Butterfly curled up her antennas and she started to shake, standing near the ladder in the peach pit.

"It's James and Mr. Grasshopper!" Mrs. Ladybug exclaimed. "They're in danger!"

Before Butterfly could even blink, Mrs. Ladybug crawled up the tunnel. Butterfly hesitantly followed her and as soon as they crawled out, they each spread their wings and took flight. They were heading towards the direction by the sound of James and Mr. Grasshopper's yells and the chomping jaws.

"Ready dearie?" Mrs. Ladybug asked Butterfly, having her eyes were focused on the jaws.

Butterfly nodded, "Yes."

"Hooligans! Ruffians!" Mrs. Ladybug yelled as she hit a jaw with her purse.

In the meantime, Butterfly kicked the other jaw with her high heeled boots.

Each of the jaws fell into the ocean with a splash sound.

"Degenerates!" Mrs. Ladybug yelled, then turned to Butterfly, who gave her an approving hand gesture.

"Well done, Mrs. Ladybug."

"Right back at you, dearie."

Mr. Grasshopper and James landed on the peach with the strings that were holding on to the seagulls. After getting off of Mr. Grasshopper's back, James quickly tied the strings back on the stem. At the same time, Mrs. Ladybug and Butterfly flew back to the peach.

"Come on, seagulls!" James yelled.

"Put your backs into it!" Mr. Grasshopper yelled.

"Shake your blooming tail feathers!" Mrs. Ladybug yelled.

Miss Spider and Marcy remained in the peach pit to take care of the sharp object that was shot at the peach. Miss Spider mused for a little bit. "What am I to do?"

In the meantime, Centipede was on the cord that was connected between the peach and the shark.

Tremulously, Centipede tried to slowly get back to the peach. "Good sharky... nice sharky..."

In the peach, Miss Spider and Marcy found two hammers. A light bulb lit up on the top of their heads. They quickly ran to them, grabbed it and started hammering through the harpoon.

Centipede lost grip and slid back to where the shark was at. "SHARKY!"

As Centipede stopped himself from falling into the shark's mouth by grabbing on the cord, Miss Spider and Marcy kept hammering through the harpoon. Every time the cord was hit, Centipede was closer to the shark's giant jaw. He could take no more of this. With all his strength, he ran towards the peach. Just when he was at the edge of the peach, Miss Spider and Marcy completely hammered out the cord. It caused Centipede to nearly fall out of the peach but he grabbed a bit of the boards of the peach and pulled himself up. He put his hat back on and ran all the way to the top of the peach where James and all the other bugs were at.

Centipede came to the top in time to see the robot shark explode and see all the bugs to cheer. Centipede then jumped to the edge and yelled at the shark that has just been destroyed. "Teach you to mess with me you ya, overgrown sardine! I'm from Brooklyn!" Centipede yelled.

Mr. Grasshopper laughed, "Pure twaddle! Every bug on board displayed extraordinary courage. Why did you see Mrs. Ladybug and Butterfly both risked their lives and wing to bash those brutes on the snoot?"

"Well, they were being very rude.I can't abide rudeness," Mrs. Ladybug said.

"Agreed. And why would we let you guys get hurt?" Butterfly gave a small smirk and wink.

"And I did it without even attempting to use sorcery and learning how to use it." Marcy mused. "Maybe I'm more useful than I thought..."

"We are all forgetting something," Miss Spider said as she walked towards James and Marcy, "Everything we did was part of the brilliant plan of James and Marcy,"

"Oh yes yes," Butterfly nodded and smiled at them both. "That's absolutely true."

"It really did work. Didn't it?" James asked as he looked at everyone.

"We did it, James." Marcy giggled.

Everyone nodded.

"I say three cheers for them. Hip hip...," Mr. Grasshopper started.

"Hooray!"

"Hip hip...!"

"Hooray!"

"HIP...HIP...!,"

Everyone joined in, "HOORAY!"

Centipede ran over to the stem of the peach and pushed it, "New York, here we come!"

The peach soared through the sky and with that, it was time to go to New York. Everyone started to dance, feeling more optimistic than before.

"Oh Centipede!" Miss Spider squealed out of emotion, hugging the tall bug tightly. "I am so happy."

Centipede's face grew red from the unexpected hug, but smirked. "Wanna dance, Spidey?"

Miss Spider rolled her eyes, but grabbed two of his arms and spun around. Everyone else gasped as they watching the two bugs dancing. Maybe they'd learn to get along after all.


	9. Chapter 9

The peach flew high up to the was excited about reaching New York, but there was one problem and that was food. Everyone was silent at first but then Centipede started to complain.

"Want food. Food," Centipede said as he rubbed his growling stomach.

Centipede looked around the peach for food. He ended up taking a bite of his cigar.

"You sure you know where we're going? I don't see how you can navigate without a compass," Mr. Grasshopper said.

For a moment there, he changed from bug to wine and cheese. Centipede quickly rubbed his eyes from the hallucination and turned to Earthworm.

"It's very hot up here. I'm roasted," he said.

In Centipede's eyes, he turned from a worm to a hotdog. Centipede shook his head with disgust and looked up at the seagulls and hallucinated again, seeing a seagull turn into a chicken.

He panted and looked around to make sure no one saw him. The coast was clear. He pulled on the string that brought the seagull down. Before he was able to bit the bird, Mrs. Ladybug swiftly hit him on the head with her purse.

"Unhand that bird!" she yelled.

The seagull bit and pulled on Centipede's nose, which caused him to scream. His mouth went dry after the bird let go.

"But I'm dying of hunger!" Centipede whined.

Butterfly, who was from a different distance at the peach watched the whole thing and simply rolled her eyes, not paying attention to Centipede's complain.

"Perhaps I have a bit of soda bread in here somewhere," Mrs. Ladybug said as she searched through her purse.

Mr. Grasshopper twitched his antennas when he heard her. "Food?"

"It's not much, but it's...," Mrs. Ladybug was stopped by Mr. Grasshopper.

"Not so fast!" Mr. Grasshopper yelled. He took the piece of bread.

"Hey!" Centipede yelled.

"You?" Mrs. Ladybug asked.

"I need this food!" Mr. Grasshopper said taking a bite of the bread, "I have a much higher metabolism,"

"BITE ME!" Centipede yelled.

Centipede then jumped at Mr. Grasshopper and started to wrestle him for the piece of bread.

"Have you two gone mad?" Mrs. Ladybug asked.

The fight attracted the rest of the group. Both Miss Spider and Butterfly came up to the top of the peach, Earthworm started to drool while watching the food be tossed around and James and Marcy, were sitting on the piece of fence stuck in the peach stood up to see what was going on.

"LET GO OF IT GRAMPS! GIVE IT! GIVE IT TO ME!"Centipede yelled at the insect.

"Let go of my coat!" Mr. Grasshopper yelled.

"GIVE IT TO ME!"

"OW! My lower thorax!"

"I'LL RIP YOU APART!"

"I tell you, it's mine!"

"GIVE...IT...BACK!" Centipede yelled trying to grab the piece of food with his pinchers, but it missed and he knocked it out of Mr. Grasshopper's hand.

They both watched as the piece of food bounced off the peach and fell off the peach. Both Centipede and Mr. Grasshopper eyes widened and then turned toward each other and growled.

"NOW LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE!" they both yelled at each other.

They started wrestle again and started to choke each other.

Earthworm started to whine. "We're going to starve. Waste away. And not quickly!"

"My oh my," Butterfly's eyes followed the fighting centipede and grasshopper. "Those two are going to kill each other and we're not going to have anything to eat."

James looked down at the peach and smiled a bit. Marcy noticed his smile and nodded, knowing what he was up to.

"Oh no! That would be the easy way out. We'll linger. Sadly. Miserably. Painfully," Earthworm continued to whine.

"Oh Earthworm..." Butterfly rolled her eyes. "Please, just stop."

"You guys!" Marcy called out, gathering everyone's attention.

"Nobody's going to starve!" James laughed.

The fight between Centipede and Mr. Grasshopper stopped and Earthworm stopped his whining. The bugs attention was now on James and Marcy.

"Don't you see? We have enough food here for five voyages," James explained as he climbed down the peach.

"Even more, too." Marcy winked.

"Food? Where? What are you talking about?" Centipede asked rapidly.

"Is there really food?" Mr. Grasshopper asked.

"But where?" Butterfly mused.

"Our whole ship is made of food," James said holding a pile of peach.

Marcy climbed down the peach to get more piles of the peach to give everyone. "Yeah! We'll definitely survive."

"Oh, you are such a clever boy," Mrs. Ladybug took a piece, looking at James, then smiled at Marcy. "And you are such a clever teenage girl."

"I wonder why we never noticed that," Butterfly said as she took a piece for herself too.

Mr. Grasshopper took another piece and Centipede took what was left, which was the entire pile of took a huge bite of his piece and stuffed it in his mouth.

"Takes after me," Centipede said with his mouth full.

Miss Spider rolled her eyes and snatched his piece, "After you, there is nothing left to take,"

Mr. Grasshopper started to eat the pieces that were left of his off of his coat, "It's delectable,"

"Very delicious," Butterfly said as she took her first bite out of hers.

"Better than aphids," Mrs. Ladybug said.

"Better than ladybugs,"Miss Spider said as she learned into her food.

"WHAT?!" Mrs. Ladybug eyes widened as she stared at Miss Spider.

"Excuse," Miss Spider said sheepishly.

"It's not dirt," Earthworm took his piece, "But it's not bad,"

"Not bad? It's the best thing I've ever tasted and I have tasted a lot," Centipede said, jumping back into the peach followed by the others.

They started to get set up for dinner. They used a tablecloth and a bucket for a table and plates. Centipede and James went up to the wall of the peach and got some peach. James gave Centipede the pile of peach and Centipede broke into a song.

"I've eaten many strange and scrumptious dishes in my time. Like chili bugs and curried slugs and earwigs cooked in slime. And mice with rice is very nice when they're roasted in their prime, but don't forget to sprinkle them with just a pinch of grime," Centipede sang. He sprung the pile of peach around on a plate and cut it up into slices.

Everyone took a slice and started to eat while Centipede continued to sing.

"I'm crazy about mosquitoes on a piece of butter toast and pickle spines of porcupines and a great big roast and dragon's flesh quite old not fresh. It costs a bucket at most," Centipede sang while handing Glowworm her slice of peach.

"Does it come with gravy?" Glowworm asked.

"It comes to you in barrels if you order it by post," Centipede sang while trying to give Miss Spider a slice that was carved into a flower.

She took it, but he got slapped for it. James, Marcy and the others started to circle around the bucket and bow to each other. Suddenly a giant sphere of peach came rolling down the tunnels and ladders inside the peach. Everyone quickly turned the bucket over before the sphere hit the ground.

"It comes to you in barrels if you order it by post," everyone then decided to join in the song.

A piece of peach flew onto James' face and it caused him to fall back. Mr. Grasshopper and Marcy both helped him back up. Right after doing so, Mr. Grasshopper started to sing.

"For dinner on my birthday, shall I tell you what I chose? Hot noodles made of poodles on a slice of garden hose and a rather smelly jelly made of armadillos toes. The jelly is delicious, but you have to hold your nose,"

Mr. Grasshopper started to smash the peach that landed in the bucket. Mrs. Ladybug grabbed some glasses out of her purse and started to fill it up with the smashed peach.

"I crave the tasty tentacles of octopi for tea. I like hotdogs, but I love hot frogs and surely you'll agree. A plate of soil with engine oil is a super recipe. I hardly need to mention that it's practically free," Mrs. Ladybug sang.

"We hardly need to mention that it's practically free!" everyone sang.

"I love the taste of fruits, and oh how this peach has fascinated me." Butterfly sang, holding her glass up with her top right hand for a toast. "Good to eat, good to drink. Flavor so sweet, what's better than that?"

"Flavor so sweet, what's better than that?" everyone sang, toasting each other.

Centipede showed up carrying a huge piece of peach on the top of his head. The piece was bigger than the one that landed in the bucket before.

"Now comes my fellow travelers the burden of my speech," he began.

"You show off!" Miss Spider yelled at him.

"Tell me about it!" Marcy giggled.

"These foods are rare beyond compare and some right out of reach," Centipede let the piece of peach go and it landed on James and everyone else despite Miss Spider.

"Nice aim, Commodore," Miss Spider teased with a smirk on her face.

"But there's no doubt I'd go without a million plates of each," he continued.

He slid down and got close to Miss Spider's face, which caused her to glare deadly.

"Out of my FACE!" she hissed, throwing her drink at him.

"For one small mite...," he started as he leaned into her face again.

Marcy, Mrs. Ladybug and Earthworm popped out of the pile of peach on the floor, "One small mite,"

"One tiny bite...,"Centipede sang.

James, Butterfly and Mr. Grasshopper popped out of the peach pile, "Tiny bite of this...!"

Everyone expect Miss Spider joined in as Centipede turned the knob on the top of the pipe Miss Spider was hiding in.

"Fantastic...," they all sang. Miss Spider was then sliding out of the pipe thanks to a river of peach flowing through the pipe, "PEACH!"

Everyone started to throw pieces of the peach together like a snowball fight. Miss Spider pointed at Centipede, which caught everyone's attention and they all threw a balls made out of the peach at him and managed to hit him and knock him down. He then joined the food fight.

"This fantastic peach!"


	10. Chapter 10

When the dinner party ended, Centipede went up to his post to stir the peach and everyone else started to fall asleep. James, Marcy and Miss Spider were talking while Miss Spider built a web for James and Marcy to sleep on.

"You keep to yourself, don't you?" James asked.

"Yeah, you seem quiet." Marcy said.

"I prefer to be alone," Miss Spider answered.

"I understand that." Marcy nodded. "I know the feeling."

"Marcy and I were alone for a long time once." James said.

"It was never a good feeling." Marcy sighed.

"I think it's much nicer to have friends, don't you?" James asked once again.

"I would not know," Miss Spider said.

"They would be your friends too. The others, I mean. If you would just let them," James suggested.

"Would you let them?" Marcy asked.

"No. It is in their nature to have fear of me. This I can not change," Miss Spider said.

"You're very kind to us," James said.

"Maybe this is because you two were kind to me first," Miss Spider said, smiling at the two.

James and Marcy stared at her. They realized something about her. Was she the very same spider from before?

"Wait a minute..." Marcy stared. "You, you were that spider we saw!"

"You were the spider in our window," James said.

Miss Spider smiled and nodded. "Mmm hmm."

"I am so glad to see you're here, alive and well." Marcy smiled.

"You were our first friend. I mean, since Marcy and I went to live with my aunts. They hated us!" James yelled.

Miss Spider put her hand to his lips and whispered, "Shhhh. Do not think of them now,"

"But what if they find us? What if we don't make it to New York?"

"Oh, no..." Marcy put her hands over her face.

"I'll die if we have to go back to the way we were," James said as Miss Spider finished up a blanket, "They can't make us!"

"Nobody can make you or Marcy do anything, James," Miss Spider said, "If you do not let them. You are a brave boy,"

She kissed him on the head and smiled at Marcy, kissing her at the top of her head. "And you are a brave girl."

Miss Spider started to back up into the pipe to get some sleep as well.

"Now go to sleep. You two have had a very "tired-making" day," she said.

She stopped herself as she saw James still looking distressed and she smiled gently. "You do not need to worry, you do not need to fear. Those aunts of yours is history, and I am your present and future."

James smiled gently as she sang to him. Marcy smiled and placed her arm over his shoulder. "I will protect you in any way I can, just like how you protected me. I will not let anyone lay a hand on you."

Miss Spider smiled in return, holding him gently by the hand. "I never knew I would love someone so much, but now I know I love you. James, my dear James. And Marcy, you too. I never knew I'd love someone so much. Your gestures of kindness has amazed me, no one has ever been this kind to me in my life. You are a good-hearted boy and girl, and I love you so much."

"Thank you." James smiled. Spiker and Sponge never did that for him. Not once.

"I love you, and Marcy." Miss Spider nodded, smiling and as she backed away, she blew out the candle sitting by the web and once she got on her spout, she fell asleep. James yawned and looked up at the hole at the top of the peach. He then shut his eyes and awaited for the new day.

Marcy took a while before she decided to go asleep. "I still hope I'll learn about this whole... sorcery thing." she mused, then she closed her eyes and went to sleep.

* * *

Butterfly, who was asleep on a giant red high heeled shoe near the ladder that leads to the outside of the peach opened up one of her blue eyes and let out a yawn. She shook her head and mused. "I can't sleep. Should I just.. go outside for a little bit?"

She stood up, stretching her arms and wings and stared at the ladder that was to her right. She stood in front of it and stared at it for about three seconds. She then started to climb up quickly with her four arms and two legs. As soon as she made it to the top, she felt the slightly cold wind flow against her blond hair that brushed on her pale cheeks. She inhaled and exhaled. "How relaxing."

She looked the dark sky and the half moon and started to trembled slightly. "Have to get rid of this fear.."

In the meanwhile, Centipede, who was half asleep on the stream heard the soft spoken voice and opened up his eyes. He looked around and spotted Butterfly standing near the boarder of the peach and walked towards her. "Butterfly? What are ya doin' here?"

Since Butterfly was back turned and didn't sense Centipede near her, she jumped slightly and turned out. She sighed as she saw Centipede. "Hey Centipede."

Centipede tilted his head slightly. "Why aren't ya sleeping?"

"Just feeling.. nervous." Butterfly confessed. "What if the people of New York don't like us when we make it? After all, we are giant bugs.."

"Give it a chance." Centipede walked to her side. "Why are ya scared about this?"

Butterfly stared at Centipede with a blank expression in her crystal blue eyes. She had a bit of a choked up throat. She took a deep breathe. "I was never close to my parents and sisters before Spiker and Sponge killed them. I never had much of a family... at all. What if it's the same when we make it to New York?"

"You got us." Centipede gave the monarch butterfly a smirk.

"What are you talking about?" Butterfly snapped. "I thought you hated me."

"Are ya kidding? I thought you hated me."

Butterfly touched one of her hands and squeezed on her deep royal purple gloves and bit her lips. "No... I don't... in fact, I don't hate anyone in this peach. You guys are better than my blood related family ever were and I've only known you guys for one day."

Centipede puffed smoke from his cigar and then focused on the female insect again. "I don't have a family myself either. I know the feelin'."

Butterfly's eyes widened a bit. "Really?"

"Yeah. It's not just you, Marcy and Jimmy. We all had our own problems and this journey is our destiny."

"True. I'll have to learn to stop being so negative." Butterfly let out a small giggle. "Mmm hmm. Destiny... just as you and Miss Spider are."

Centipede's eyes widened and face turned slightly red. "Excuse me?"

"Centipede, you made it too obvious with all the times you teased and flirted with her. You got a crush."

Centipede growled at her. "If you tell anyone about this, I'm gonna-"

"I won't tell." Butterfly said. "I know you and I may have our disagreements, but I wouldn't do something like this. There's a limit to everything."

"Oh..." Centipede muttered sheepishly. "Well now this is the first time I tell anyone this but Spidey's pretty awesome.."

"Indeed." Butterfly let out a small yawn. "Anyway Centipede, I have to go sleep."

"Alright. I'll just go back to steerin' the peach."

Centipede made his way back from the boarder to the stem of the peach while Butterfly stared at the pit of the peach. "You're not to bad. Centipede. Maybe I can learn to trust after all." she mused. She then looked up at the stars in the sky and smiled.

"I can't believe I haven't realized, that I am not the only one. How could I not see it? How could I not know that the others understand me."

Centipede, whose back was against the stem, raised his antennas as he heard her sing.

"I have endured a lot," Butterfly sang. "With feeling alone. Once my parents and sisters perished, I thought the ones around me wouldn't know the feeling. Dear, how wrong was I."

She stared at the stars that started resembling each of the bugs; Centipede, Miss Spider, Earthworm, Mrs. Ladybug, Mr. Grasshopper and Glowworm. "Every single individual in this very journey knows exactly how it feels. Whether it's losing a family member, or just being alone, they know how I feel."

Butterfly wrapped her arms around her slender body and squeezed her eyes shut. "I felt weak inside, meeting them at first."

She unwrapped herself immediately and flew a few feet up in the sky, singing in higher notes. "But now? I am surrounded by others, with many kinds of personalities and background stories. Who knew I'd grow fond of them?" she giggled as she circled the sky a bit. "Ah, yes! A centipede with a rambunctious personality, and a mysterious spider. A sweet ladybug, and an intelligent grasshopper. An earthworm who is timid, yet can show some bravery, and a glowworm we need for light. A kind young boy and lovely teenage girl who are brave, and helped me realize my true identity." she pointed to herself with pride. "I am a feisty butterfly, despite my appearance, I can show how courageous I am! Chances are I can get into danger, oh you can count on that, but at least I'm brave enough to try to be adventurous."

Centipede stared up at the sky and smirked a bit once he saw her. "She's gettin' happy." he mused.

Butterfly spun a few times around the many seagulls holding up the peach with the string on them. "Just as the rest, I am determined to get to New York City! And believe me, now I got a positive mind; that instead of getting killed, we shall succeed and make it to our new home. I never knew this, but I do need the others. There is no way I can accomplish this alone." she then made her way down by to the peach near the pit as she sang in lower notes. "Everyone has advantages, oh how brave they are. They can show how strong they are. Now I believe in them, and I believe in myself. I am now a positive woman. No negativity should come in mind. We will make it to the city, and our dreams will come true."

Butterfly smiled gently and made her way back into the peach, laid on the high heeled shoe she used as a bed and went to sleep.

In the meanwhile, Miss Spider, who was awake due to hearing Butterfly's voice from outside, stretched her arms and jumped off her spout. She slowly got out of the peach pit and stared up at the sky with an emotionless expression.

"The talk I had with James and Marcy...," she whispered to herself silently. "Ohh... I cannot get it out of my mind. I normally prefer being alone, but does it always have to be that way?"

Centipede rubbed his eyes to wake himself up again and noticed Miss Spider out, and started blushing immediately. His heart skipped a beat as he heard Miss Spider start to sing. "Will there ever be anyone else who I will ever love, other than James and Marcy? They are so kind, so brave, I love them so much. But what about the others in this journey? Will I ever grow to care for them? Will they ever care for me?" as Miss Spider sang in a silky tone, Centipede frowned a bit, hearing what she said.

"I cannot interact with them, it is in the nature to have fear of me. I do prefer being alone, that is something I am used to. But will it always be that way?" Miss Spider put her head down slightly. "I do not know how it is like, to have so much company. Is it a positive or a negative thing?"

She danced slowly by herself around one side of the peach, not knowing Centipede watching and listening. "I am not cruel, I never mean any harm. But when one looks at me, they only see a hideous spider." she looked up at the sky with a puzzled expression. Will one ever understand that I have more potential? Other than James and Marcy, who else would understand?" she then started to sing in higher notes. "Will the others make me happy, or will they just hurt me? That I do not know. Do they look at me and find me bizarre because I love the dark? The moonlight, the peace and quiet, is it wrong for me to like?"

She felt a tear roll down her cheek, but she whipped it away quickly. "James and Marcy understands, and they are the only ones that I love. But how about the rest, will they ever understand? In the very future, will I care for them? And will they care for me?"

Not wanting to sing anymore, Miss Spider jumped back down into the peach pit with Centipede staring at her awestruck. Her voice was gorgeous, he mused, but the distress she had made him place one of his many hands on his chest. "Spidey... I wish I can show ya I care for ya."


	11. Chapter 11

During the night, Marcy had a dream that was in a dark room with nothing. It was literally pitch black and she turned around, yelling as loud of she can. "Hello? James? Anyone?"

She tried to raise her hand to use her sorcery to at least light up the room, but her hand wouldn't glow light blue anymore. "My magic's gone!" she gasped.

"That it is!" Marcy jumped, hearing a familiar voice that sounded like Spiker.

"No..." Marcy shook. "It can't be...,"

"You won't be able to save James!" a voice like Sponge's said. "Your magic is gone now!"

"Even if it were still with you, it'd still be pointless!" Spiker laughed.

"He's dead now, and it's because of you!" both said.

"No... no!" Marcy shook her head. "That's a lie! It can't be true!"

All she heard was the laughter of the two aunts. She closed her eyes and started to tear up.

* * *

In the meantime, James had a dream that he was a green caterpillar with black and white stripes on his body as well as green. There were a few orange spots on his back, he had rosy red cheeks and red antennas. He suddenly heard a sound that caused him to look up and he gasped at the sight before him. There was a wrecked up black and gray car and there inside it were Spiker and Sponge.

"Look! The little maggot is stuffing his face with out peach!" Spiker snarled and turned to her sister. "Get him Sponge!"

"AHHH!" James screamed and hid behind the peach.

"You can't crawl away from us!" Sponge said, letting out smoke that followed James, along with lightning shooting.

James ran with full speed on the rocky walls yet the smoke was getting closer to him. He then jumped on a tree's branch and kept running with all the energy he had. As he ran, he heard the sound of each of his aunts talking. Once James got on the ground, he kept running. The smoke was going after him! He passed through a broken can and hid in a hole near by. There was a dead end and the smoke was headed his direction. There it revealed that the smoke was no other than the rhino who killed his parents! James let out a scream and the dream ended from there.

James opened up his brown eyes and gasped. He shivered. Was it cold wind? Indeed it was.

"Marcy," James said, shaking Marcy to awaken her. "Wake up! Are you okay?"

Marcy immediately opened her eyes and once she looked at him, she hugged him tightly. "James! I'm so glad you're okay...,"

She then shivered as she felt the cold wind. "What the.. what is this?"

James and Marcy decided to go find out why was it abnormally cold so they climbed up from the ladder and as they made it to the top of the peach,they stared at the scene before them with complete awe. The top of the peach was covered in snow and ice, the seagulls' wings were frozen stiff and there were sunken ships, glaciers and ice crystals all around them. There was a chill in the air that sent a shiver down James' and Marcy's spines. Their teeth chattered.

Suddenly they heard yelling. They looked down and saw the bugs at the boarder of the peach yelling. Everyone was pointing fingers at Centipede. Why Centipede? What was going on? James and Marcy walked off to find out.

Centipede was backing away as Mr. Grasshopper, Mrs. Ladybug, Earthworm and Butterfly were walking towards him.

"This is an outrage!" Mr. Grasshopper yelled with disbelief. "You are a disgrace to your phylum, class, order, genus and species!"

"Say it in English!" Centipede yelled.

Mr. Grasshopper yelled back without hesitation. "You, sir, are an ass!"

"Whoa, Mr. Grasshopper..," Marcy gasped, musing to herself. "If you called Centipede that, he definitely did something wrong..."

"Where are we? What's going on?" James asked as he shivered.

"I found this dime-store Timmy asleep at the helm! Now we are lost!" Mr. Grasshopper yelled as he pointed his fingers at Centipede.

"We are not lost!" Centipede protested.

"Then where are we?"

"Somewhere North," Centipede mused, "Or possibly very,very far South...,"

Mr. Grasshopper wanted to do something to Centipede. Anything. Slap him, kick him, call him more words. But no. There was something more important. Questions had to be answered.

"What's your latitude? What's your longitude?" Mr. Grasshopper asked.

Centipede felt speechless and threw up his arms, "Hey! Hey! Hey! That's personal, bub,"

The four bugs in front of Centipede started walking towards Centipede, which caused him to back away at the same time.

"You said you could navigate!" Mr. Grasshopper yelled as he walked towards Centipede.

"You said you've traveled the world," Mrs. Ladybug said.

"You said you'd been to Bora Bora," Earthworm added.

"Was it all a lie?" Butterfly asked pitifully.

"Well not Bora Bora per say,uh...," Centipede said with embarrassment, but then interrupted by Miss Spider coming up behind him from the top of the peach.

"What about the shores of Tripoli?"

"Did I say "Tripoli"?" Centipede laughed, "I meant the Halls of Montezuma,"

"That's what you said!" Earthworm said offensively.

"Never have I heard such mendacity!" Mr. Grasshopper said with a dead glare.

"You liar!" Miss Spider hissed.

"Charlatan!" Mrs. Ladybug berated.

"You're a deceiver!" Butterfly yelled sharply.

"HOLD IT!" Marcy screamed.

"Yes! Wait!" James yelled, which stopped the others from yelling. "If he says he's seen the world, then he's seen the world. Right Mr. Centipede?"

Centipede looked up at James and Marcy with a frown, feeling embarrassed.

"Right?" James and Marcy asked.

"Well... I did use to live between two pages of the National Geographic," he answered.

Everyone dropped their jaws. This whole time everything he told them was a lie?

"Huh?" James' eyes went wide and jaw dropped.

"You've got to be joking Centipede..." Marcy frowned.

"Very informative magazine, National Geographic. Wonderful pictures," Centipede smiled sheepishly.

No one returned a smile to him. They either gave me a hopeless frown and furious glare.

"You...incompetent, blithering nitwit!" Mr. Grasshopper yelled as he stepped towards Centipede.

Centipede glared back at the tall insect. He took out his cigar out of his mouth and threw it to the ground.

"Alright hoppy! Them's fightin' words!"Centipede yelled turning his hat around and holding up every single one of his fists, "Put 'em up! Put 'em up! Come on! Give me your best shot!"

Mr. Grasshopper didn't say a single work and kicked Centipede in the face without hesitant. Centipede fell to the ground on his back with his hat on the ground and sat up when he felt pain in his jaw. He started to rub the target Mr. Grasshopper chose to kick.

"Whoa. Good shot..," Centipede groaned.

Centipede then spit and a tooth fell in his hand. He's eyes widened as he stared at it. He looked at the others and held the tooth out for all to see.

"Did you see what he did to me?!"

Everyone still glared at him.

"Hmph. Serves ya right!" Mrs. Ladybug said.

Mr. Grasshopper, Earthworm, and Mrs. Ladybug turned away from him. and started to walk off. Butterfly remained and stared at Centipede with a blank face expression.

"Butterfly." Centipede looked at the insect. "I-"

"You're a liar!" she yelled. "I thought you were my friend. I thought you were unselfish. I... I guess I was wrong."

Butterfly turned her back away from him and walked away and put one of her right arms on her chest with her eyes squeezed shut. Just when she was able to make a friend, who would've been a brother-like figure, she learned he deceived everyone in the peach. Deceived even the one he was falling head over heels for, Miss Spider. Multiple thoughts kept running through Butterfly's mind. "Why would anyone have the heart to do something like that? Why do I have to stay positive now? Why do I have to trust? Why do I have to stop being afraid? Why do I want to have friends?"

Centipede sat on the boardwalk he was on after everyone walked off and started grumbling to himself.

In the meantime, James had his focus on the rest of the bugs. "What do we do now? Which way do we go?"

"We have to make a plan of some sort to get out of here." Marcy explained. "But what..."

Mr. Grasshopper looked up at them and responded, "Oh, it's simple really. All we need to do is determine our coordinates, then use triangulation to chart a direct route to New York,"

"Then there's hope!" Earthworm said enthusiastically.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Mr. Grasshopper said as he poked him on the nose, "There's no hope at all! We don't have a compass,"

"We'll never reach New York! We're going to be stuck here forever! We're going to be frozen like living statues!" Earthworm whined.

"Dead living statues!" Mr. Grasshopper corrected.

Butterfly turned to the two bugs. "I couldn't agree with you more..."

Centipede overhead them and started feeling a sharp pain in his chest. Was it guilt? The bugs continued to speak.

"No dark hiding places...," Miss Spider said.

"No cozy leaf in the park...," Mrs. Ladybug included.

"No appreciation to receive...," Butterfly said.

"No people to be around with...," Marcy said.

"No city where dreams come true...," James said.

Every single one of the words caused pain in his heart more and more. Centipede sat back down and put two of his hands on his face and was close enough to cry. Because of him, they were all going to die and not make it anywhere.

"Those ships have compasses," James asked as he pointed out to the ships.

"That's true, one of us has to swim down there to get it." Marcy stated.

"No doubt. But to brave those icy waters would mean certain death. Only a fool would do it," Mr. Grasshopper responded.

Centipede gulped at first but then turned to the icy waters and mused for a few seconds then he put his hat, grinned and jumped into the icy waters. "GERONIMO!"

As soon as a splash was able to be heard, everyone except for Miss Spider ran to see what happened.

"What? What? What was that?" Earthworm asked frantically.

James pointed at the ripple in the water, "The Centipede jumped in!"

"Yes!" Marcy yelled. "He's risking his life!"

"He did what?!" Butterfly exclaimed and thought to herself. "What kind of idiot would do that?!"

"Good heavens! He's committed pesticide! "Mr. Grasshopper gasped. He couldn't believe what was happening. "Oh, this is all my doing..,"

"Don't take all the credit," Earthworm turned to him, "I helped too!"

"Come on you two," Marcy said calmly. "There's no one to blame. He must've heard us talk about compasses and went down to get one..."

"I have to go after him!" James said as he stared at the icy waters.

"What?!" Marcy gasped. "James!"

"Not on your life!" Mrs. Ladybug quickly turned to him. "You'll capture death of cold."

"But he's my friend,"

"He's not wrong there. Centipede means something to us." Marcy said. "And if you're going, I'm going."

James smiled, nodding in agreement.

"James and Marcy are right," everyone turned and it was Miss Spider, "Centipede is one of us. Get on my back. I am going with you two,"

As James and Marcy got on Miss Spider's back, Butterfly grabbed Miss Spider's arm.

"You guys are not going there..," she said. Everyone stared at her until she had a response. "Without me."

Miss Spider nodded in agreement.

"You two better take good care of them," Mrs. Ladybug said.

"This we can promise," Miss Spider responded.

"Trust us," Butterfly said.

Butterfly stood by their side while Miss Spider got her string and gave it to Mr. Grasshopper and the others.

"Stay by the line," James said,

"And when you feel two tugs pull us up," Marcy finished.

After everyone grabbed the string, Miss Spider jumped off the peach with James and Marcy on her back and Butterfly followed along by jumping with them. Once in the water, the four went past the wreckage of ships to search for Centipede.


	12. Chapter 12

Centipede swam to the bottom of the freezing water until he reached a pirate ship. He whistled as he looked around the ship to find what he was looking for. He kicked a door that led into the Captain's quarters down and looked around. The one thing he noticed was a skeleton with a black pirate's hat sitting at the desk in the room.

"A skellington?" Centipede said as he tip-toed over to the desk. He noticed he was holding something. He took his cigar out and blew away the dust. There on the desk in the captain's hands was a compass.

"JACKPOT!" Centipede yelled, "A genuine compass!"

Centipede put his cigar back in his mouth and lifted the arm of the skeleton that was holding the compass. It creaked alittle.

"Sounds like you need a little oil captain," Centipede said as he took the compass away from the skeleton, "Thank you sir! I'll be shoving off now,"

Centipede begin to head to the door with glee but there was one problem. He was walking in place. He looked behind and noticed his sespenders were wrapped around the hand of the skeleton. The skeleton looked up at him and growled. Centipede quickly tried to escape.

"AHH! I SHOULD'VE WORN A BELT!" Centipede yelled.

He turned away and tried to head towards the door with all the strength he had, but suddenly more pirates appeared right in front of him.

"Holy...SHIPWRECK!"! Centipede yelled as he flew back to the captain.

The captain grabbed Centipede and the compass and laughed evilly. Centipede trembled as a thought came in mind, he was not going back to the peach.

* * *

In the meantime, James, Marcy, Miss Spider and Butterfly swam to the bottom of the freezing water to the pirate ship. Miss Spider tied her string to the pole connected to the crow's nest, gaining a bit of Butterfly's assistance. James and Marcy looked down at the deck, and seconds later Miss Spider and Butterfly did the same. Miss Spider and James turned to each other, Marcy and Butterfly turned to each other at the same time and they gasped at the sight before them. Centipede was tied to two wheels that the pirates were turning. He was being stretched out, which caused him to scream. The compass was lying on his chest and the captain of the pirates took it off his chest.

"Skellington..." Butterfly whispered, observing the skeletons that surrounded Centipede.

"Listen fellas. I got a long history of back problems and I don't need it to get any longer!" Centipede screamed again as the pirates turned the wheels to stretch him out again. A loud crank could be heard as they turned the wheels.

"Hey, that one felt pretty good," Centipede laughed.

Suddenly there was a huge viking skeleton coming out of the shadows with a giant ax. Centipede looked up at the skeleton.

"It's Paul Bunyan!" Centipede laughed, "Coming to cut me some slack,"

The viking skeleton held up the ax and held it close to Centipede's stomach.

"Whoa! Hey pal! Your aiming a little low," Centipede joked, but stopped immediately and yelled, "HE'S GOING TO CUT ME IN HALF!"

James couldn't take more of this and quickly jumped off the deck, which caught Marcy by such surprise, she jumped after him. Miss Spider and Butterfly eyes widened and jaws dropped as they watched what happened. "James! Marcy!"

James and Marcy both kicked the viking skeleton, which caused him to fall off the ship. The rest of the pirates stood dumb-founded of what just happened. Miss Spider and Butterfly then jumped down from the crow's nest.

"Hey sailors!" Miss Spider yelled.

"The ladies are here as well!" Butterfly announced.

The pirates looked up at the two girls with awe.

"Looking for some kicks?" Miss Spider asked as she and Butterfly both kicked two of the pirates holding one of the wheels at the same time. One flew into another pirate. Both of the wheels unwinded themselves and Centipede was stretched back to normal, but he fell into the cargo hold.

"Cut me loose!" he yelled from inside.

James' attention was on the ax and quickly ran over to get it. Marcy ran after him to defend him, holding her hand up and using her sorcery to protect him, even if her hand was merely glowing light blue. As James lifted the ax, he tugged too hard and it hit the pirate behind him, which caused Marcy to gasp. The captain's head flew off and he dropped both his sword and the compass. The compass started to roll toward the edge of the ship. In the meantime, Centipede started to rise out of the cargo hold thanks to the headless pirate captain.

"GET THE COMPASS!" Centipede yelled.

James, Marcy, Miss Spider and Butterfly looked up and had their attention to Centipede for one second, then Miss Spider ran after the compass while James, Marcy and Butterfly tried to get Centipede down. She grabbed the compass before it fell off the edge.

"I've got it!" she yelled to the others.

Butterfly turned to smile at her until she saw another skeleton appear.

"Ubutu!" he yelled as he was getting towards Miss Spider.

"Miss Spider! Look out!" Butterfly exclaimed as she ran to Miss Spider's direction.

Miss Spider then turned to the skeleton right when he was running to her with a blade in his hand.

Miss Spider dodged the blade, but he kicked her in mid air. She started to turn around and around and it looked like she wasn't going to stop. She was flying straight to the direction where Butterfly was headed. "BUTTERFLY! LOOK OUT!"

Before Butterfly was able to make a single move, Miss Spider crashed into her and that caused the two to spin around and crashed into the pirate skeleton who just put his head back on. The crash was so hard, the skeleton's head flew off once again. His head knocked the compass out of the other pirates' hands and flew until James caught it. "Gotcha!"

"Great work, James!" Marcy praised.

Suddenly, the parrot that has been sitting on the captain's shoulders flew over to James and took the compass from him.

"Hey!" Marcy screamed at it, but the parrot ignored her. Before it got away, Centipede swung down to the parrot with a rope and took the compass from the parrot.

"Polly want a SMACKER!" he yelled while he smacked the parrot into the wall.

Centipede swung to the top of the crow's nest, looking around to see where the other four were at. He quickly noticed the other skeleton with the ax that headed their ways.

"Look out!" he warned the four.

Miss Spider, Marcy and Butterfly dodged it, the three pushing James out of the way of the blade's way. Miss Spider kicked him, which knocked his head off while Butterfly and Marcy both shielded James.

* * *

In the meantime, Mr. Grasshopper, Mrs. Ladybug and Earthworm heard from outside the peach that the others yell.

"Sounds like big trouble!" Earthworm exclaimed.

"Get ready to pull!" Mr. Grasshopper commanded.

The three bugs grabbed on the string, hoping to fell a tug from the others.

* * *

In the cold waters, Miss Spider, James, Marcy and Butterfly climbed up the crow's nest with as much energy as they had. Centipede waited for the four to get up in the meantime. He pulled James, Butterfly and Marcy up and he blushed sheepishly when he helped Miss Spider up.

"I got a good one for ya," Centipede said while tying the string back onto Miss Spider, "Why don't skeletons play music in church?"

The skeletons climbed up hastily, not giving Centipede a single answer to his question.

"Because they got NO ORGANS!" Centipede laughed when he tugged twice on the string.

The pirate captain jumped with his sword aiming for them and was able to catch up. Centipede looked down and saw the sword was about to stab Miss Spider. He quickly slammed his pinchers on the blade of the sword and flew off of Miss Spider's back. The four watched with awe watched as Centipede fell back onto the crow's nest and started to fight the pirates.

"NO!" James, Miss Spider, Butterfly and Marcy screamed.

The last thing they saw was Centipede being ganged up on by the pirates. As they broke through the surface of the water, Mr. Grasshopper, Mrs. Ladybug and Earthworm pulled them up out of the freezing water.

"Oh thank goodness!" Mrs. Ladybug gasped, "You're alright!"

"We are," Butterfly said as she gasped for air.

"What happened to Centipede?" Mr. Grasshopper asked.

Miss Spider held up the compass, "He found a compass for us,"

"And a ship load of pirates!" James added.

Everyone else gasped.

"How much?" Earthworm asked.

"TONS!" Butterfly exclaimed.

"So many of them... skeleton ones actually!" Marcy exclaimed as well. "Skellingtons..."

Miss Spider shoved the compass into Earthworm's mouth, "Hold this. I am going back!" She then rapidly jumped back to the ice.

"You be careful, Miss Spider!" Mr. Grasshopper warned her.

She was able to jump in but stopped as she watched the water started to bubble. She gasped as she saw what came out. Centipede's hat. Miss Spider picked up the hat. She could feel tears rolling down her cheeks as she showed the hat to the rest of the group.

"No..." Marcy immediately teared up. "Centipede... our hero..."

"Poor Centipede...," Mr. Grasshopper said as he covered his face with his hands, trying to hold back his tears.

"He saved our lives down there," James sighed, with Mrs. Ladybug putting a hand on his shoulder.

"This wasn't supposed to happen...," Butterfly said, starting to feel tears rolling down her cheeks. Thoughts ran through her mind rapidly. "Before he jumped in... I said such cruel things to him. I didn't want to trust anymore. Now look at what has happened..."

Marcy held her hand, looking at her calmly. "I'm so sad..."

"Me too."

Miss Spider stared at the hat as tears kept rolling down her cheeks. She held the close to her. It was her last reminder of her rescuer. The last of.. the love of her life.

Suddenly, water started to bubble again. A hat and sword appeared out of the water. Was it... a pirate? Everyone gasped.

"Look out!" Mrs. Ladybug yelled, "Miss Spider!"

"Run!" Butterfly exclaimed.

"Hurry!" Marcy screamed.

Miss Spider gasped at what she saw. She was about to run for it, but suddenly smirked at who it was that she saw. Centipede has risen from the water wearing the pirate gear. Everyone's faces broke into smiles as they looked at him.

"Centipede!" James yelled.

"It's you!" Marcy giggled.

"How am I lookin', kids?" Centipede asked.

Miss Spider stared face to face with Centipede, glaring into his eyes. She took his hand that had the sword in it.

"Centipede! I do not know whether to kill you!" Centipede felt the sword against his throat as she shoved it close to him and he closed his eyes. Was it the end, or...

"Or...," Miss Spider stared at him no longer with a glare.

Centipede could feel her soft cold lips against his cheek. Was that a kiss? It most certainly was one. He face flushed a bright red that made him resemble a tomato. The kiss stole his heart. He had no crush on her anymore. It was much more than that. He fell in love. And it seemed she fell in love with him too.

"Kiss you," Miss Spider smiled.

Centipede smiled and Miss Spider stared into his eyes once again, and her cheeks started to flush slightly. "And by the way commodore, that pirate hat looks good on you."

Centipede remained speechless, yet he blushed brighter and couldn't stop smiling.

"D'awwww!" Marcy giggled. "Those two are so meant to be."

Butterfly smiled at the sight of the two bugs and her crystal blue eyes gleamed. "Now that's the centipede that I know,"

Mr. Grasshopper then started to pull Miss Spider and Centipede back up to the peach as James and Marcy took the compass from Earthworm and walked up to the top of the peach to where the stem was at.

Centipede and Mr. Grasshopper started to apologize to each other sheepishly.

"Hey, I'm sorry." Centipede started

"My sincere apologies" Mr. Grasshopper said.

"I just wanna apologize,"

"I just wanted to say-"

"All I'm trying to say is-"

Earthworm then jumped into the conversation, wearing the pirate hat. "That's enough chit-chat! I'm freezing!"

"Hello? The compass is ready!" James said from the top of the peach.

"Get ready to come up!" Marcy smiled. "We'll be leaving here soon!"

"Mr. Centipede?" Mr. Grasshopper turned to look at him, "Would you please do us the honor of navigating us out of this icebox?"

"It would be my pleasure," Centipede responded.

As they walked off, Mrs. Ladybug grabbed some blankets and put them over Butterfly and Miss Spider.

"I admire your bravery, Miss Spider and Butterfly," she said as she threw the blankets over both of them," I really do,"

"Why..thank you Mrs. Ladybug," Miss Spider said softly.

Butterfly placed a hand on her chest, smiling brightly. "I appreciate how you admire us like this."

Back at the top, the others got the seagulls to fly again.

"All right, boys. Coffee break's over," Centipede said as he pulled the strings, which caused the ice to get off of the seagulls.

"I'm looking forward to a hopping good time in the big apple, Mr. Centipede," Mr. Grasshopper smiled with delight.

"You said it, Mr. Grasshopper," Centipede responded.

The peach soared up and from there, everyone was ready to head to New York.

* * *

Just so you guys know, the part of the kiss where Miss Spider complimented on how Centipede looked in his hat was inspired by a dream I had a long time ago where that happened. I decided to add it into the story because I ended up thinking, "That would be SO awesome if that happened."


	13. Chapter 13

During the night, Centipede stayed outside to steer the stem. He kept yawning in exhaustion.

"Oh boy,what I wouldn't do for a cup of coffee,"

He shook his head and slap himself to stay awake, "Cup of joe,"

Mr. Grasshopper came out of the peach with a blanket and a chair made from a cardboard standie. "I say, old sport, came to relieve you of your duties,"

"I said I'd steer the peach," Centipede yawned, "Have to steer the peach.."

Mr. Grasshopper set the chair down and helped Centipede into the chair as he continued to yawn.

"Can't quit...now,"

"Good show, old boy," Mr. Grasshopper said throwing the blanket over Centipede.

"Thanks.. Mr. Grasshopper,"

Centipede immediately fell asleep. At the same time, Mr. Grasshopper got out his violin and started to play gentle music to it.

In the meantime, James and Marcy remained on the boardwalk looking at the travel book. We're getting to New York soon, James thought.

"James...," Marcy stared at him with her teal eyes.

"Yes?"

"Throughout this journey, I wasn't able to learn much about my magic... at all."

"I'm sorry Marcy," James put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay." Marcy smiled. "Because I learned I was about to defend you nonetheless. Magic or no magic, I will protect you."

James smiled, then the two returned looking at the travel book until a sound caught their attention. It was the sound of violin music. What was it about the violin music that seemed so familiar? James and Marcy pondered for a moment and then walked up to the peach where they found Mr. Grasshopper playing the soft music while Centipede remained asleep.

"Mr. Grasshopper?" Marcy spoke up.

"That music!" James said.

Mr. Grasshopper sprang slightly, but then sighed in relief as he noticed it was non other than James and Marcy. "Oh sir James! Marcy! Did...did I disturb you two? So sorry. I'll...I'll put this away,"

"No no. I like it! I used to hear it at my aunt's house before I went to sleep,"

"Yes, it gave us a deja vu feeling." Marcy nodded.

"You're pretty smart, young James, young Marcy,"

James gasped. "So that was you, wasn't it? Playing that music or do all grasshoppers play music?"

"All grasshoppers...try," Mr. Grasshopper responded to the young boy, "I'm sure you've heard this,"

Mr. Grasshopper rubbed his legs together and made the sound of crickets chirping. James and Marcy nodded as they heard the familiar sound.

"Ghastly, isn't it? Cricket stuff," Mr. Grasshopper said, "Music should be the voice of the soul,"

"What?" Marcy tilted her head.

"What does that mean?" James asked.

"It means that when I'm happy, my music sounds like this," Mr. Grasshopper started to play his violin cheerfully, making James and Marcy smile.

"When I'm sad, it's like this..."

He started to play a slow tune on his violin. James' and Marcy's expression quickly turned from a smile into a frown.

"When I was sad, I used to climb in bed with my mom and dad," James teared up a bit, then whipped it away, "But that was a long time ago,"

"Adopted mom and dad for me...," Marcy teared up. "I lost my real mom and dad, and then I lost my sweet adopted parents. All whom I loved so much...,"

Mr. Grasshopper placed a hand on James' shoulder, and another one on Marcy's, "I'm sure they'd be very proud of you, James, Marcy. I know we are," he then jumped on the stem and started to play his violin in an upbeat tone where inside the peach Miss Spider, Mrs. Ladybug, Butterfly, Earthworm and Glowworm all have awoken.

"Take a little time. Just look at where we are," Mr. Grasshopper started to sing, "We've come very,very far together,"

The sound of him singing awoken Centipede.

"And if I might say so,"

"And if I might say so too," Centipede joined in.

The two then sang together. "We wouldn't have got anywhere if it weren't for you, boy and girl,"

James and Marcy pointed to themselves, then at each other, smiling.

Mrs. Ladybug then came up. "Love is the sweetest thing,"

Earthworm came up after her. "Love never comes just when you think it will,"

Butterfly then came from behind. "Love is a special feeling,"

The last one up was Miss Spider.

"Love is the way we feel for you,"

"We're family. We're family."

Everyone then joined in, "We're family!"

"All of us,"

"And you," Mr. Grasshopper added.

"Think of where we'd be if we were on our own," Centipede sang upside down on the peach stem.

"We'd be dead!" Earthworm responded.

"You're what holds us all together," Mrs. Ladybug sang.

"We are?" James and Marcy asked.

"Why of course," Butterfly turned to them both.

"And if I might say so," Centipede sang.

"And if we might say so too," Mr. Grasshopper and Mrs. Ladybug sang together.

"We never could love anyone as much as...,"

"We love you!" everyone then hugged James and Marcy.

Glowworm came out to join in, "Love...!"

"Is the strangest thing," Centipede and Miss Spider sang.

"LOVE...!"

"Does exactly what it wants to do," Mr. Grasshopper and Mrs. Ladybug sang.

"LOVE...!" Glowworm sang once more as Centipede and Mr. Grasshopper helped her out of the peach.

"Boy, ya know it's true," Centipede said.

"We're family! We're family! We're family!"

"Me and you," everyone pointed toward James and Marcy.

Everyone made their way for Miss Spider and Butterfly.

"Ashes to ashes and dust to dust," they sang, side by side.

"Without you, there be no us."

Marcy jumped on the peach stem, then Mr. Grasshopper placed James on it as they continued to sing.

"Love is the sweetest thing. Love does exactly what it wants to do. Love is the way we feel for you. We're family! We're family!"

"We're family!" James and Marcy sang, "Me,"

"And," everyone sang together while helping James and Marcy down, "You!"

Centipede grabbed Miss Spider's hand and they started to slow dance as the violin music was still being played and as it ended, Centipede removed his hat and kissed Miss Spider's hand. Butterfly couldn't help it but smile at the sight.

"Awww," Marcy giggled.

"We'll always be together, won't we?" James asked his friends.

"All of us, always?" Marcy asked.

Centipede placed his hat on James's head, "Kid, your stuck with us for life." he then smirked at Marcy. "And you can count on it!"

Suddenly, everyone on top of the peach heard a low rumble. They looked over the peach and gasped at the sight before them. The bright lights that seemed familiar. Was it New York? James and Marcy pondered. Indeed it was!

"Look everybody!" James' brown eyes were lighten up,"We made it!"

"To the city!" Marcy smiled.

"We did?" Centipede asked.

"New York City," Miss Spider gasped as her golden eyes lite up.

"Breathtaking," Mr. Grasshopper smiled.

"Divine!" Butterfly sighed pleasingly.

"Glorious!" Mrs. Ladybug couldn't keep her eyes off of the sight.

"Look at the park!" James pointed.

"It's fabulous!" Centipede said.

"We have made it!" Miss Spider hugged Mrs. Ladybug, Butterfly and Marcy, and the four girls cried tears of happiness.

"What a wonderful sight!" Mrs. Ladybug said through tears.

"It's just so gorgeous...," Butterfly whipped away tears from her cheeks.

Glowworm pointed to the tall statue of a lady with a torch, "There's Lady Liberty!"

Earthworm sniffed the air and couldn't stop smiling, "I can almost smell the lovely dirt,"

"Is it not beautiful?" Miss Spider said wiping tears away from her eyes.

James' gasped as his eyes caught the Empire State Building. He didn't imagine it to be this tall!

"The Empire State Building!" James pointed out.

"It's there!" Marcy smiled, pointing at it. "I can't believe I'm seeing it with my own eyes!"

"SEE THOSE LIGHTS!" he jumped, then grabbed Mr. Grasshopper by the arm and turned him around.

Miss Spider and the others started to chuckle as they watched the upbeat centipede.

"WA-HOO! YIPEE! Atta boy, Jimmy and Marcy!" Centipede praised James and Marcy.

"Good show, James, Marcy!"Mr. Grasshopper said." The city awaits us!"

Miss Spider came over to James and Marcy, took Centipede's hat off of James's head and gave it back to Centipede.

"Now remember James and Marcy," she said fixing James' tie and shirt, while brushing Marcy's hair with her hand a bit, "First impression is very important,"

Suddenly the wind started to pick up and storm clouds appeared. James and Marcy ran to the stem to steer the peach so it could away from the wind and the others tried to fight the wind and get to James and Marcy. As he was moving the stem, the wind blew the compass off of the stem due to the strong force it had.

"Oh no!" James exclaimed as he tried to catch it, but it was too late.

"It's gone!" Marcy screamed.

Mr. Grasshopper gasped as the wind grew stronger, "We'll be blown off course!"

"We'll wind up in JERSEY!" Centipede exclaimed.

Butterfly grabbed on to her purple beret as tightly as she could. "We won't make it to the city with this wind!"

Lighting caught everyone's attention. The huge storm cloud that was heading towards them let out a growl. There was a figure coming out of the clouds with bright yellow eyes. James and Marcy couldn't believe their eyes. Was it what they thought it was?

"Could it be?" Mr. Grasshopper stared at the figure with disbelief.

Centipede gasped at the sight before him, "It couldn't be...,"

Butterfly couldn't keep her blue eyes off the figure. "Is it really what we think it is?"

The dark figure let out a huge roar.

"It's the rhino!" James yelled.

The lighting cracked, causing everyone to become tremulous.

"Oh James!" Mrs. Ladybug exclaimed, "Do something!"

"We believe in you James!" Butterfly turned to the boy.

The rhino started to fly towards the peach. James and Marcy felt like they had no choice but to come face to face with the biggest fear of their life.

"Argh!" Marcy raised her two arms up, her hands shining light blue brighter than it has ever done and mused to herself, "I have to learn this sorcery and help us all!"

"Everyone climb up into the rigging!" James screamed in the meanwhile, "Hurry!"

Everyone swiftly climbed up and grabbed on to the strings as hard as they possibly could. The bugs gasped as they noticed James and Marcy didn't climb up with them.

"James! Marcy!" Miss Spider yelled out to him, "Are you not coming with us?"

James yelled as he looked up to her, "No!"

Marcy, who had her hands still shining bright, looking up to her. "Sorry, but we can't!"

They ran off to the boardwalk and stood motionless as the rhino headed closer. Marcy's hands were still glowing, but she did nothing at the moment.

"What are they going to do?" Butterfly pondered tremulously. "Are they doing what I think they're doing?"

"It got my mom and dad!" James yelled, "It won't get our friends!"

Marcy remained speechless, but nodded and held her arms up, letting them blow bright blue even more.

They both stared face to face with the beast and James yelled like there was no tomorrow. "Come out and show your face, you stupid beast!"

"Come on! Come to us!" Marcy yelled.

The rhino roared louder as it came out of the storm clouds. It was a dark figure with eyes that were glowing a bright yellow color. Everyone stared at the beast in awe as they watched lighting flashing from it's horn.

"Good God Almighty!" Mr. Grasshopper gasped as he stared at the sight in awe.

The beast headed closer to the peach to kill everyone like it killed James' parents.

"Remember what you parents said James! You have to remember too, Marcy!" James and Marcy looked up and noticed it was Earthworm speaking, "Try looking at it another way!"

James and Marcy thought about what to say and then turned back to the rhino, glaring at it.

"You're not even a real rhino!" James exclaimed as the rhino growled at him, "You're just a lot of smoke and noise!"

"You're nothing more!" Marcy yelled.

The rhino growled as it heard the two and headed even closer.

James yelled what he has been wanting to say all his life. "I'm not afraid of you!"

"I'm not afraid of you, either!" Marcy yelled.

"_We're _not afriad of you!" the two yelled together!

Outraged at those words, the rhino then came charging out of the clouds.

"We're not afraid of YOU!" the two repeated clearly.

The rhino heard enough. It shot some lighting out of it's horn and it hit the boardwalk James and Marcy were on. Marcy's sorcery was strong enough to keep the two from getting struck, but the lightning cut the strings off the stem that was holding on to the bugs. It caused them to fly away with the seagulls attached to the string. They gasped as they watched James and Marcy, their family members, fall down to the clouds below and into the city.

"JAMES! MARCY!"

James and Marcy screamed as the peach was falling from the sky, Marcy still using her magic to keep them protected in any way. "NO!"

The peach landed on something. What could it be? Where were James' and Marcy's friends? Were James and Marcy alive, or perhaps dead?


	14. Chapter 14

James woke up to the flashing lights immediately. He shook Marcy immediately. As she woke up, the two ended up coughing out green things that go by the name 'crocodile tongues'.

"Are you okay?" James asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine James." Marcy nodded.

They stared at each other in awe. They were normal humans again!

"We're back to normal." Marcy stretched her arms.

"Yeah." James nodded, then smiled. "Your magic... it defended us from the rhino!"

Marcy gasped with delight. "Yes.. we're safe! My magic can defend after all... I am so thankful... but the bugs..."

James' eyes widened, then as he was opening up the peach, he tried to search for them. "Miss Spider? Mr. Grasshopper?"

"Miss Butterfly? Mr. Centipede?" Marcy called out.

"Hello? Is anybody here?" James yelled.

They both opened the peach together and got out. What caught their attention first was the red light.

With the spider silk they found, they tied it around themselves. They looked down and noticed the bright lights flashing around, the cars passing by, the sounds of car honks and much more. The city... it had to be it.

"This isn't right..." James pondered. "Where's the Empire State Building?"

"It being New York City, we have to find it." Marcy nodded. "I wonder where is it..."

There was something James and Marcu didn't notice and it was the fact that they were right on top of the Empire State Building. Due to the peach being right on it, the liquid from inside was oozing everywhere and fell on people from down below. As a police chief was going to take a bite of an apple, some of the peach's liquid fell on him. "What the..." he stopped himself as he saw the peach right on top of the Empire State Building. He didn't see it as a peach though, but as an odd round object.

"Officer!" a girl yelled from a window, looking through a telescope. "There's a boy and a girl there!"

"What?" he was flabbergasted by what he has heard. "A boy? A girl?"

He then got to a payphone and spoke right after he dialed a number. "Mabel! We got us a huge unidentified object here!"

"What's it look like?" she asked.

"Round, fuzzy... it sorta looks like a giant fruit or something."

She found that to sound rather bizarre. "Well... what is it?"

"I don't know what it is," he answered. "Just send us the biggest crane in New York!"

That said, a huge crane came on it's way, and the object on top of the Empire State Building caught the attention of a crowd of people. Lights came right to the peach, which caused James and Marcy to jump, and they noticed a man, who was in the crane, come to us.

"Please sir, how do we get to the Empire State Building?" James asked.

"It has to be around here somewhere, right sir? Where is it?" Marcy asked.

"You two are on top of it." he answered.

Right after they received the answer, James and Marcy looked at each other and smiled.

"We made it!" James cheered, then frowned. "Well, the two of us made it."

"The others..." Marcy frowned.

The man, who was in the end of the crane, assisted us into it. "Hang on."

The two got lowered down not too long after and we ended up on top of a giant truck.

"Have you seen any big bugs tonight?" James asked.

"Big bugs?" he asked. "How big?"

"Abnormally big." Marcy responded. "Human-sized, to be exact.."

Police arrived along with many trucks. Sirens rang and lights flashed everywhere, and Marcy stared at it all in awe.

"I hope they're alright..." James whispered to Marcy.

"Me too." Marcy nodded, lowering her head.

Firefighters then arrived as well. They got a giant ladder and before they knew it, it was right near the peach. They gasped as they noticed how much people were taking pictures of the peach and a firefighter came to us. "Don't worry, you guys. You'll be alright."

"Come on. Don't be afraid, I got you." he said calmly, helping them down.

Reporters then came running to them and asked a variety of questions.

"Hold your fire, fellas!" the police chief yelled as we got down. "They're just young people, for Pete's sake."

He then turned to James and spoke gently. "It's okay, little guy. Nobody's gonna hurt you or your friend."

They gasped as they heard a car honk and it wasn't just any car! A flat out car, that was a complete mess with the seaweed all around it and smoke surrounding it, came right to them. The doors opened with seaweed falling out and James and Marcy tried to make out who were getting out of the car. James' and Marcy's eyes widened as it was non other than James' aunts, Spiker and Sponge. "No!"

"Spiker and Sponge...," Marcy mused, her teal eyes widened.

"Hello... our two angels..." Sponge chuckled as she smirked at them.

"So kind of you to look after our lost lambs." Spiker said.

Sponge started blowing kisses to James and Marcy, which disturbed the two.

"Who are you?" the police chief asked.

"We are the boy's and teenage girl's legal guardians." Spiker said. She showed some papers to prove it.

"We missed them too much..."

"... So we'll take them home now."

"And the peach, of course! We're taking that as well." Sponge added.

The chief stopped them immediately. "Wait a minute... wait a minute! Back up. You mean to tell me that this thing is a peach?"

"It's not a peach." Spiker said. "It's our peach."

"Our peach!"

"Show him, Spongey!"

Sponge got a wet photograph and showed it to the chief.

_It was from that day...,_ James mused. _When they were making money out of it..._

_Those two..., _Marcy mused. _Argh... I can't stand them..._

"Looks like it's their peach alright." the chief said.

"Yes, yes. And we're VERY proud of it." Spiker said.

"We're going to be in the record books!" Sponge smirked.

"It's NOT their peach!" James and Marcy both spoke up.

"The old man gave the green things to Marcy and I! That's what made it grow!" James yelled.

"And Spiker and Sponge are doing nothing more than lie!" Marcy yelled.

"How dare you two disagree with us!" Sponge said, growing rage.

"We have every right to do so!" Marcy snapped at them.

Before Sponge said anything else, Spiker grabbed her arm. "Patience sister, remember their conditions."

"Conditions?" the chief asked.

"They're both chronic liars." Sponge said.

"Sad, really." Spiker continued. "They need their treatments,"

"Well, that's why we're here. To bring them home," Sponge said, then turned to James and Marcy. "So you come with us, 'eh, loveys?"

James and Marcy both quickly ran to the chief. They jumped up to the very front of the truck.

"We're not the ones lying, they are!" James stated.

"They are complete and utter liars!" Marcy explained.

"As you can see, officer... it is urgent that you release them to us immediately."

"Let the boy and the girl speak!" someone from the crowd protested, with everyone agreeing.

"All right, all right, all right!" the chief spoke up. "Lets get to the bottom of this. This thing is a peach. All right, I'll buy that. Now.. does somebody wanna tell me how it got here."

"We attached it to a hundred seagulls." James started.

"SEAGULLS?!" Spiker teased.

The rest of the crowd started laughing.

"Hey, it's the truth!" Marcy snapped at the crowd.

"That's what happened!" James announced. "Me and Miss Spider, and the Centipede, and the Old Green Grasshoppers...,"

"Miss Butterfly, Mrs. Ladybug, Earthworm, Glowworm..." Marcy continued.

"I think they've gone made!" Spiker laughed, and the crowd laughed more.

"But... why? Why don't you believe in us?" Marcy asked.

"Because it's something you two dreamed up." Spiker responded.

"Well, maybe it it started that way. As a dream." James explained. "But doesn't everything? Those buildings, these lights, this whole city!"

"Everything in the world, to be exact." Marcy nodded.

James smiled at Marcy, then continued. "Somebody had to have dreamed about it first. And maybe that's what Marcy and I did. We dreamed about coming here, but we did!"

"The poor boy and girl needs their medicine." Spiker continued, not caring for what either would have to say.

"So we'll just take them..."

"...And the peach."

"Back to our cozy little house on the hill." Spiker threw the papers she had away, and tried to reach over James and Marcy.

"No!" Marcy and James both screamed at them.

"What did you two say?" Spiker glared at them.

"We said you're not taking us. We're not going!" James argued. "We hated that house and that cold room! And how we were always hungry...,"

"How mistreated we were!" Marcy continued.

"Alright, that's enough!" Spiker interrupted.

"And how you beat us!" James continued, causing the crowd to gasp.

"They're lying!" Sponge exclaimed.

"And told us we were nothing!" James snapped.

"When it wasn't true!" Marcy nodded angrily.

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP!"

"No! Not this time!" James yelled back. "Marcy and I flew the giant peach across the ocean! We landed on top of the tallest building in the world! WE made it! We're not the ones who are nothing, YOU are! And we're never going back with you! Not me! Not Marcy! Not the peach!"

"And there is nothing you two horrible abusers can say or do that will change our mind because we had enough! You two aren't real aunts and you crossed the line!" Marcy snapped at them. "I will never let you take me or James there again!"

"How DARE you two speak to us this way?!" Spiker yelled, outraged with both James and Marcy. She and Sponge each took an axe from the fire truck and thinking fast, Marcy grabbed James by the hand and climbed up to the very top of the truck. Before they knew it, each of James' aunts started hitting the front of the truck with the weapons on their hands. Sponge smashed the very front, and Spiker broke the window. The chief was in shock and blew the whistle. People backed away as the firefighters made them, all staring horrified at James' aunts.

Marcy shielded James and was about to use her magic for defense, but then...

"James! Marcy! Up here!"

As everyone looked up, they gasped. Who was up at the sky? Exactly, what was up at the sky? A green light shined in the sky as they heard the voices.

"Hello, we're here!"

"Coming to the rescue!"

"Hey, buddies!"

Spiker and Sponge stared in awe at the sky, trying to discover whose voices were they.

"What are they?" Aunt Spiker asked.

James and Marcy were the only ones familiar with the voices, and their eyes lite up as we saw who they were. Up in the sky were their friends, and they were holding onto Miss Spider's strings that had the seagulls still attached to it.

"Young James! Dear Marcy!" Glowworm cried.

"Hey Jimmy! Hey Marcy!" Centipede waved.

"Bugs!" Aunt Spiker exclaimed in horror.

"Need a little help down there?" Centipede announced.

The crowd stared at the sky in awe as they saw the giant bugs in the sky.

"Giant bugs!" Aunt Sponge screamed.

"Hey, you old biddies!" Centipede teased.

"Help us!" the aunts screamed as they grabbed on to each other tightly. Marcy in the meanwhile laughed a bit.

Mrs. Ladybug waved at us. "Whoo-ee! Here we are, dears!"

"Hello, you tho!" Earthworm turned his attention to them.

"We told you they were real!" James said.

"There they are!" Marcy smiled.

The crowd had no choice but to believe now that they were seeing the bugs with their own eyes.

"Hello, old boy and my dearest lady!" Mr. Grasshopper yelled.

"We're so happy to see you two!" Butterfly smiled.

"Requesting clearance to land." Miss Spider said.

The bugs then landed on the peach firmly. Afterwards they let go of the strings and the seagulls flew away from them. The crowd still stared at the bugs in awe and the aunts were staring at them tremulously.

"Miss Spider, throw me a string!" James turned to the family member.

Miss Spider got a bit of her string and tossed it to James, who caught it immediately.

James smiled as he thought of his plan. He quickly threw it on the aunts, tied them up with it, which caused them to scream in horror.

"Ok, pull them up!" James announced to the bugs.

The bugs all nodded in agreement, held onto the string and pulled on; capably pulling their aunts up to where they were at.

"Help!" Aunt Sponge exclaimed. "Where are we going?"

"Teaching you two a lesson." Marcy laughed.

Just as planned, they were right in front of the bugs. Just like when James was face to face with the rhino before, the bugs were now face to face with Spiker and Sponge.

James had the plan in mind and yelled out to the bugs. "Spin them around!"

Being the closest, Mr. Grasshopper leaned down a little and kicked the aunts, which caused them to spring around rapidly.

"Wrap them tightly!" Marcy continued.

Miss Spider threw the string and wrapped it to where the aunts couldn't budge. The spinning was so powerful, it caused the aunts' wigs fall off. Indeed what everyone thought was hair at first were merely wigs. Revealing their bald heads caused Butterfly to start laughing. "Hey Spiker, Sponge! That's what you get for trying to kill me days back!"

"Tighter! Tighter!" James and Marcy both yelled as the bugs followed orders.

The screaming aunts were finally wrapped up tightly.

"Well I'll be a... the two were telling the truth." an officer said.

The chief watched the screaming aunts with disgust. "Get those two creeps outta here!"

The crane took drove off with the aunts still tied up and screaming.

James and Marcy then climbed down the ladder as he noticed the cheering crowd.

Everywhere around, there were reports on phone booths announcing all over what has happened. "Stop the presses, I got a new front page! 'Big Bugs in the Big Apple'!"

"In big bold print, 'Little Lindies Fly Giant Peach'."

"'Half-Pint Heroes and Their Peach Pit Pals'."

James smiled at the crowd and knew what he had to do, "Everyone! These are our friends! The ones we've been telling you about. Mr. Centipede!"

Centipede noticed the crowd cheering on to him as the spotlight was on him and he waved proudly. "Hi!," he then climbed down the peach quickly.

"Old Green Grasshopper," James announced next.

The spotlight came on him next. "My pleasure." Mr. Grasshopper bowed at the crowd.

"Earthworm!"

Earthworm posed as the spotlight came on him and everyone screamed approvingly.

"Mrs. Ladybug!"

"Charmed." Mrs. Ladybug showed her wings to everyone, making them cheer louder.

"Miss Butterfly!"

"Greetings, darlings!" Butterfly spread her wings and flew up a few feet, causing the crowd to clap loudly.

"Miss Spider!"

Miss Spider chuckled slightly and bowed at the crowd as the spotlight got on her.

"The Glowworm!"

"God bless the colonies!" Glowworm yelled at the crowd.

"And last but not least, my adopted sister, Marcy!" James pointed at her, and then spotlight got to her.

Marcy giggled and raised her arms up and shot blue magic up in the sky, causing the crowd to cheer.

"Can we eat some of your peach?" a young boy from the city asked.

"It won't keep forever." Centipede turned to James and Marcy with a grin on his face.

Indeed it wouldn't, James and Marcy thought. James pleasingly turned to the boy. "Go ahead!"

The many kids in New York surrounded the peach and started to eat from it.

People threw confetti out of the windows as everyone cheered. Butterfly swiftly flew around the confetti, which caused everyone to cheer louder. Butterfly giggled as she looked at the many people of New York. "I have never been so happy in my life!"

In the meanwhile, a boy shouted out to James. "Hey! What was your name?"

"It's James!" He answered.

"Hey everyone!" Marcy called out. Once she got everyone's attention, she shot more magic up in the sky, which caused light blue fireworks and everyone cheered more.

"I am so happy, James." Marcy hugged him.

* * *

Everyone ate that peach all the way down to the pit and set it up in Central Park as a permanent home. And James Henry Trotter and Marcella Jade Trotter, who were the sad and loneliest people you could imagine now had a loving new family and all the friends in the world. And since their visitors begged them again and again to hear the story of their adventure with the giant peach, they wished for a way to share it with everyone. And that is exactly what you have just read.


End file.
